Peal of Thunder
by madnorthnorthwest
Summary: Have you ever thought about what it would be like to meet Mulder and Scully? What if an XFiles fan would meet them? What would he or she do, what would he or she say?
1. To the Extreme

Chapter 1: To the Extreme  


Some time ago, something strange happened to me. It was the weirdest and most unbelievable experience I've ever had. I don't know why it happened to me rather than someone else and at first I was scared and confused.Today I'm glad that it did happen to me, although to this day, I can't explain it. I suppose there are things that can't or are not meant to be explained. If so, this story is probably one of them.

One night I was alone at home and there was a horrible thunder storm outside with heavy rain, which was pattering on the window. I was in the living room watching a DVD. I thought that I could need some potato chips and some juice. So I got up, walked into the kitchen and searched for a pack of potato chips and also got a glass of orange juice. On my way back the dog crossed my way. She looked at me a little shy.  
"What's the matter, Annie?", I said.  
Then she wagged her tail and followed me into the living room where I sat down again to continue watching the DVD. Annie jumped onto the sofa and lay down next to me. Outside, the thunder was getting louder and louder. I was just leaning forward to grab the remote control in order to turn up the volume, when a tremendously loud bang reached my ears. I covered them and looked up. Suddenly an awfully bright light appeared right in front of me. I remember that I tried to make out the source of the light. It seemed to come from somewhere near the TV or maybe even through the window behind it. For several seconds I just sat there covering my eyes. The dog barked nervously. What then happened I don't know. I just can't remember. As if this memory was taken away from me. The next thing I know is that I woke up in some sterile, white room with lots of people around me. I heard their voices but didn't understand what they were saying. I couldn't really see them either, since they wore some kind of dust masks and their white smocks seemed to merge with the white background. The whole scenario felt like a dream and it was an enormous strain to keep my eyes open and I felt exhausted and tired. So I finally gave in and closed my eyes. The voices began to fade.

I couldn't tell how much time had passed – an hour, a day? I heard the sound of a door being opened and closed. Then steps. I didn't want to open my eyes because I didn't know what to expect. But the steps came closer and so I slowly opened them to see what was going on.  
"Oh, I see you're awake", said a man wearing a doctor's coat.  
He was standing in front of my bed. _My bed?_ I was in a hospital bed. How the hell did I get here?  
"Where am I?" My voice must have sounded scared.  
The man took a chair from a table in the corner of the room and sat down next to the bed. "You are in the Trinity Hospital."  
I didn't react, but just stared unbelievingly at him.  
"My name is Dr. Shaw. I took care of you when you got here."  
I tried hard to remember. "Well, how did I get here?"  
He furrowed his brow. "We are not really sure about that."  
I waited for him to go on, but he didn't.  
"How can you not know?", I asked.  
"I'm sorry. I don't know. Everybody just claims that you were brought in, but nobody can tell by whom. I've already tried to find out myself."  
I looked anxious at the doctor, who immediately added that I am in good health and that they didn't find anything wrong. I had been unconscious when I got here, but again they couldn't tell why or for how long. He told me that they suggested to keep me here for a few days to make sure everything is alright.  
"We're still waiting for the results of the blood work", he said before he left the room.  
So I was alone in here. Not knowing how I got here. I was afraid.

Later that day I decided to get out of that bed to get a picture of what was going on. I left my room and walked down the hall, but most doors were closed. Actually only one was open and a nurse was just going inside the room when I passed it. So I could just catch a glimpse of what was inside. I couldn't believe what I saw. But I didn't have a chance to take a closer look, since the door was closed right in front of me.


	2. First Contact

**I updated the second chapter, actually I wrote a new one because I wasn't satisfied with the other version. **

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Chapter 2: First Contact

Dressed in this typical hospital gown only, standing there in this hallway, I felt like I was in the wrong movie. What a stupid saying. But there's definitely some truth in it, as I know now. Anyway, for now I couldn't really do anything to improve my situation. Especially since I still didn't know much about it. So I juststrolled down the hall. A hospital smell was everywhere. I hate hospitals and I hate the way it smells in there. At the end of the hallway there was a little room with a TV and a vending machine in it. In the middle of the room was a table and a chair at each side of it. The sun shone through a huge window at the opposite wall. I had obviously found the common room. I looked around and saw some magazines that were spread on the table. I stepped closer and found a newspaper on one of the chairs. The Washington Post. I looked at the date. November 10, 1997. _97?_ I sat down and started reading. Nothing I was interested in. Why should I? That issue was 8 years old. I just wanted to grab one of the magazines when I realized somebody else came in. It was her. The woman I had seen in that other hospital room a few minutes ago. Amazing this resemblance. I stared at her in disbelief. She could have been her twin. The woman stood in the door for a while and scanned the room. When she realized that I was staring at her as ifshe was a ghost, she came walking over to me.  
"Hey!", I said.  
"Hey!", was the answer. She pointed at a chair. "May I?"  
Finally I quit staring at her andshook my head to clear it. I was so fascinated that I hadn't really listened to her. "What? Oh the chair. Yes of course!"  
She took a seat. "I'm surprised to see someone in this room. Usually there's nobody here."  
"Really? I had to get out of that bed. It makes me feel sick."  
"Well, are you not?" She even did that thing with her eyebrow. Too cool!  
"Actually, no. I don't know why I'm here." I told her about the bright light and the men in the white clothes and how I woke up in this hospital. Surprisingly she didn't look at me like I was completely insane.  
"I see", was all she said and the eyebrow went up again.  
I waited for her to go on, but she didn't. She just sat there and looked out the window.  
"So", I started. "What about you? Why are you here?"  
The red haired woman let her look move back to me. "I...I'm here because I was sick."  
"And you're not anymore?"  
Now she looked down at her hands that were folded in her lap. "I'm doing much better. Looks like I'm going to be ok."  
She didn't seem to like talking about it.  
"That's great", I said and changed the subject. "I guess everybody tells you this, but you look so much like..."  
I was interrupted by a nurse who came rushing into the common room. In her hands she had a pen and a notebook.  
"There you are!" the nurse shouted to me and joined us. "I see you're feeling better now. I was looking for you."  
"Why?"  
"Because we can't seem to reach anyone of your family."  
"My family?" I couldn't follow her.  
The woman I had been talking to probably thought it was better to leave,cause she stood up and walked out towards her room.  
I followed her with my eyes until she was out of sight. Then I turned to that nurse.  
"Yes", she explained. "We found your ID in your wallet and tried to reach someone at that address, but apparently the people who live there don't know you. Said they were Mr. And Mrs. Hiller and have been living in that house for almost 40 years."  
"I understand", I uttered. In fact I didn't understand anything. "Maybe you dialed the wrong number or looked up the wrong address", I suggested.  
"Well, what is your address?" She took a look at her notepad as she waited for my answer.  
I gave her my name and address and the correct phone number.  
"Yep, that's it. That's what we tried."  
I shrugged my shoulders. "Don't know. Then try it again. I can assure you that it is our address and phone number."  
"Alright." The nurse turned around to leave. "I'm gonna try it again."

Next time I saw that woman from the common room was before supper. We both went to the tray wagon to get our meals. She was taking her tray out of the wagon and I apologized for the interruption earlier.  
"Oh that's okay", she said. "I just hope you could resolve the problem."  
I took my tray out. "Guess they're working on it. I bet they just dialed the wrong number."  
She smiled charmingly. "Probably."  
At that moment I realized that I didn't even know her name. So I held the tray with one hand, offered her the other and said: "By the way, my name is Amy."  
She did the same with her tray and took my hand to introduce herself. "Nice to meet you, Amy. I'm Dana."


	3. Impressions

Chapter 3: Impressions

It took my breath away. I was virtually speechless. I guess I was staring at her again, because she suddenly wiped at her nose with her hand. "Something wrong?", she asked looking at her hand.  
I realized what she was thinking and tried to excuse my strange behaviour. "Oh I'm sorry. No, there's nothing wrong. I just had a Déjà vu."  
"A Déjà vu?", she repeated.  
"Yeah, well." I didn't know what to say. _Dana, her name was Dana! _What a coincidence. Or wasn't it? Thoughts shot through my head. Was it really Gillian Anderson who pretended her name was Dana. It was probably just someone who looked extremely like her. Or it was a dream. Or I imagined all of this and had gone insane. Every explanation I came up with sounded even more crazy than the preceding one.  
"Amy?", Dana's voice interrupted my thoughts.  
"Yes!"  
"Hey Amy, are you sure everything is ok? You just looked pretty absent-minded."  
"I was only thinking."  
"If you say so. Oh when the nurse came into the common room you couldn't finish your sentence."  
_Oh my!  
_"You said that I look so much like…well, like who?"  
_Why the heck did she remember this?_ I thought I better don't say anything until I knew more.  
"Oh, never mind."  
She smiled that charming Scully smile. "No really. I would like to know."  
"I can't even remember what I was gonna say."  
"Oh come on."  
"Gillian Anderson", I said carefully.  
"Oh, nobody has ever told me that."  
I smiled.  
"Who is Gillian Anderson?"  
I shrugged. This was becoming very weird. The newspaper, The other people living at my address. A woman who looked just like Gillian Anderson named Dana. _Could it be that…no, don't jump to conclusions. _There was probably a scientific explanation for itBut I wanted to be careful with what I said.  
"See I told you. Never mind. It's just someone I know."  
We then decided to have supper together in the common room. We talked a lot while eating and by the time we had finished I had found out that Dana liked to read, what kind of music she listened to and things like that.  
After we had brought back our empty trays I turned to her and asked: "What date is today?"  
I wanted to be sure.  
She was surprised. "November 11. Why?"  
"Well, the date on the newspaper was November 10, 1997."  
"Then it was yesterday's issue."  
I nodded, said goodbye for now and got back into my room in order to arrange my ideas.

On one side of the room the wall was painted turquoise. There was a bar above the window where the curtains were fixed to which was painted orange to match the light colored curtains. Other parts of the wall were also orange. The bed was arranged so that I could look out the window. All in all it was a nice room as far as that can be said of hospital rooms. Yet, I needed to get out of here as soon as possible. I thought about my situation again. About the date. _I was in the past!_ About that Dana and what she had said to me. The way she talked, the way she moved, the way she looked. Just like Gillian Anderson. _Hold on! No! _Actually she was more likeDana Scully.But if it wasn't Gillian and if she didn't even know her, was it Scully? That was impossible, she was just a fictional character. How should she have gotten into the real world? Then something else came to my mind. The date. The fact that her name was Dana. All that the nurse and the doctor had told me. I remembered what I had watched on DVD just before I had seen the bright light and it hit me_. Scully wasn't in the real world. I was in The X-Files!_


	4. Free to go

Chapter 4: Free to go

The rest of the day went by uneventful. I spent it in my room and fell asleep early.  
Something mentionable did happen the following day, though. I decided to pay a visit to Dana. That was shortly after lunch. She was happy to see me and we talked for almost two hours like old friends. She was amazing. She told me something about her work and her family. That's so unlike Scully. Of course I pretended to know nothing about her, cause I wasn't sure where this would end. So, she worked for the FBI, had two brothers and a sister who died a few years ago. _What a surprise!_ Of course, I was sincerely sorry.  
We met every day for the next few days. I guess we became friends. I tried to be careful with what I said. But it wasn't always easy. We talked about general stuff like music, pets or religion. One time we talked about travelling. I mentioned that I had once been to Canada and that it had been winter and how cold it had been. She said that she had to go to Alaska once and that it had been freezing cold up there. As usual when somebody said something like that, my reply was: "The best way to regenerate body heat is to crawl naked into a sleeping bag with somebody else who's already naked."  
"Oh my god", she laughed. "I've never heard that. Where's that from?"  
I was about to say "X-Files", as usual, but realized it early enough and just said "heard it on TV."

On November 16, I was in her room again. We talked about me. I told her that they just couldn't find my family, that I was all alone without family and friends. She commiserated with me and said that she would really like to help me. At the same time, Dr. Shaw entered Dana's room. He had a big smile on his face and said he had good news for her. He asked me to wait outside but Dana said that it was ok and that I could stay. So he began to report. "The results of the last tests are unexpectedly good, Miss Scully. The cancer is basically gone."  
When Scully smiled too, I couldn't help but do the same.  
"As soon as I've done some paperwork you are officially released from the hospital."  
"Wow that's great", she smiled.  
"It is." The doctor turned to me. "I wanted to talk to you too."  
"Ok, go on. I'm not hiding anything", I said.  
"If you say so. We still haven't been able to find a relative or even anyone who knows you. No patient documents or documents of any kind. We've done everything we can. Now it's up to the police to help you. I think we should contact them."  
I suppose Dana saw the helpless look in my eyes, because suddenly she interfered. "As you know I'm a federal agent. If you don't mind I would like to take care of that."  
"Well, that's not my decision", Shaw replied and pointed at me. "You have to discuss that with her."  
I nodded relieved and glanced at her thankfully.  
"When can I leave the hospital?", I wanted to know.  
"Well", Shaw started to explain. "Since we can't find anything, you're free to go whenever you want."

The doctor signed Dana's papers as soon as possible and gave them to her around noon.  
"I'm so happy for you, Dana", I said when we were alone again.  
Dana had started packing her things. Her bag was on her bed and she was busy taking her stuff out of the closet and the tiny bathroom and putting it in the bag.  
She stopped packing. "If I could just help you", she said with so much sympathy in her voice.  
"You already have", was all I could think of to say. After a short moment she looked at me and asked: "If you have nowhere to go, why don't you stay with me until we have solved your problem?"  
I couldn't believe it. Dana Scully had just offered me to stay with her. I was so happy that I gave her a long, grateful hug.  
"I take that as a yes", she joked.  
"Of course, I can't think of anyone I would rather stay with."  
Scully closed her bag and put it down on the floor. "Ok then", she said. "I'll call someone to pick us up."


	5. A ride home

Chapter 5: A ride home

I didn't have much to pack. In fact, all I possessed were the clothes I had worn when I had gotten here and my wallet, which had been in my pocket. So I went to my room, changed my clothes from the blue hospital gown to my own jeans and shirt and went back to Dana's room.  
"Ready to get out of here?",Scully, who had also changed while I wasgone,smiled.  
"Oh yeah!"  
Somebody entered the room behind me. Somebody I knew.  
"I heard someone needs a ride home?", he asked.  
"Bill!", Danauttered, apparently surprised to see her brother. "Where's mom?"  
I stepped back, out of the way, so that Dana could walk up to him and say hi. After they had hugged Bill began to explain. "Tara and I were at mom's when you called. Tara didn't feel so good. And with the pregnancy and everything we're rather careful"  
Dana nodded understandingly.  
"So", he continued. "Mom said she'd better stay with Tara and I should go pick you up."  
Dana looked at him a little confused.  
"Oh no", he waved his hand dismissively. "They said it's nothing serious. A women's thing. And I'd just be in their way."  
Dana grinned. "Ah!"  
"Ah what?"  
"Nothing", Dana teased him.  
"Ah what?", he repeated.  
"It's a women's thing, Bill", she said amused and gave him her bag before he could react.  
"So who are you?", Bill suddenly wanted to know and turned to me.  
I shook his hand and introduced myself as Amy.  
"We met here in the hospital", Dana told her brother. "She's coming with me."  
"Oh is she?" Bill inquired suspiciously.  
"Yes, and now let's go. I don't want to spend one more minute in here."

I sat in the back of Bill Scully's Jeep Cherokee.  
"You're not going to work tomorrow, are you, Dana?", he asked.  
"I will. Because I feel fine. Really. I can't wait to get back to work. I've spent enough time with just lying around."  
Bill sighed but didn't say anything.  
"You don't have to protect me, Bill. I can take care of myself."  
"It's because of that strange partner of yours, isn't it?"  
Now she felt offended. "No, that has nothing to do with Mulder. I just feel ready to work again and it makes me feel good. I like what I do. And don't call him that. His name is Mulder."  
He sighed one more time, then looked into the rear-view mirror to see me. "So you two met in the hospital?"  
"That's right, sir." I was unsure and a little nervous.  
"Why do you go with Dana?"  
"Long story", I said hoping he'd stop questioning me.  
He didn't. "Okay, so where are you from?"  
"Illinois", I said.  
"Illinois?", he repeated surprised. "What do you do in a hospital in Washington then?"  
"That's what we're trying to find out", Dana interfered .  
"I see." Obviously this conversation had posed more questions than it had answered for him. But he left it at that.

It was 4.23 PM when we arrived at Dana's apartment. I couldn't wait to get in and see it "live". Bill carried the bag upstairs, but was going to say good bye at the door.  
"There you go", he commented friendly as he put down the bag. "I suppose you can do the rest without me."  
"Sure", Dana affirmed and searched for her keys.  
"Good. Cause I have to get back to Tara. You know."  
"Of course. Thanks Bill."  
"Promise me to take care of yourself, Dana."  
"Always", she smiled reassuringly, gave him a hug and kissed him on the cheek. I shook his hand and thanked him as well.


	6. Scully's apartment

**First of all, thanks for the reviews. I really like to know what you think. Espiecially since I didn't know if anyone was interested in a story like this. **

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Chapter 6: Scully's apartment

Dana unlocked the door and stepped inside. I followed her, my eyes and mouth wide open. It was fantastic. Just like I had seen it on TV.  
"_Very_ nice!", I said and walked through the apartment as if I was visiting the Cheops pyramid.  
"Well it's just an apartment", she commented.  
I came back out of the bedroom and stopped right in the middle of the living room. "Very nice!", I repeated.  
"Yeah, right. Thanks", she said and pointed at the couch. "You can sleep right there. I'm sorry, I don't have a room for guests. Because normally I don't have guests. But the couch is really comfortable. We can make a bed out of it. The couch part rolls out and becomes a mattress."  
She demonstrated it. "See?"  
"Cool", I said and sat down on the couch that was now a bed.  
"I'll just unpack the bag. Make yourself comfortable. There should be something to eat and some juice in the fridge."  
She took her bag and disappeared in the bedroom.  
This was awesome. I stood up and walked through the living room and the kitchen again. _We rarely get to see this in the show_, I thought and looked at some family pictures which I had never seen before. There was a cute picture of her and Bill. It didn't seem to be old. A picture of Melissa as a teenager. A picture of her parents and some of Dana herself. Strangely enough there was no picture with Charlie, her younger brother, in it.  
"Okay, done", I heard her voice behind me.  
I shrugged and turned around.  
"Sorry, I didn't want to scare you."  
"No, that's ok. I was just looking at those gorgeous photos", I said and turned to them again.  
Dana came closer until she stood next to me. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. That was my brother Bill who took us home. See, that's him and me two years ago." She pointed at one of the pictures. "And those are my mom and dad. He was in the Navy. Just like Bill now." She pointed at another picture. "And that's my sister, Melissa."  
I followed her finger with my eyes.  
"I know", I said.  
I had to tell her somehow. I had to tell somebody. And there were only 2 people here that could help me. But Scully wouldn't believe me, I was sure about that.  
"You know? What do you mean by that?"  
"Look, Dana", I started to explain. "I must tell you something."  
Pause.  
"Okay", she said impatiently.  
"Well, it's not that easy and I don't really know how to explain it."  
She looked quite confused. "What is it? Just tell me. It can't be that bad." She made an effort to smile.  
"It's rather complex and I don't want to…to…"  
"Whatever it is. It's okay, you can tell me. Is it about the light and the men you saw?"  
"Somehow."  
Pause.  
"Look, Dana. I know you..."  
I wasn't sure if this was the right way.  
"You know me? But I don't know you."  
"I know."  
She raised her eyebrow.  
"I figured you're one of those."  
_What? What did she mean?  
_"What do you mean? One of those?"  
"Have you ever heard the names Betsy Hagopian, Lottie Holloway or Penny Northern?"  
Of course I had heard of them.  
"I remember the names Betsy Hagopian and Penny Northern and I suppose Lottie Holloway is one of the MUFON group too."  
"See, I knew it."  
Now I understood. "Oh, it's not what you think. I'll explain it. But you have to take me to work with you tomorrow."  
"Why?", she asked sceptically.  
"Please, Dana. It's important."  
"Well, I can't just…"  
"You have to trust me. Please! I promise that I will try to explain everything then."  
I looked at her with puppy dog eyes, though I'm sure that it was rather her curiosity than the puppy dog eyes that made her agree.


	7. The early bird catches the worm

Chapter 7: The early bird catches the worm

We had supper and watched TV for a while. But the mood had changed. There was some kind of tension between us now. I really hoped that would change as soon as I had explained my situation.

I woke up when Scully prepared breakfast in the kitchen. At first I was confused. I didn't know where I was. I stood up and looked around. It took me a few seconds to remember where I was and what had happened.  
I was wearing Scully's pajamas. I've always loved her pajamas. Dozily I strolled towards the kitchen.  
"Good morning!", I said to Dana, who was just frying eggs.  
"Hey!" She sounded friendly.  
"What time is it?"  
"Quarter past six. Scrambled or fried?"  
It was way too early to think clearly. "Pardon?"  
She grinned amused. "Your eggs."  
"Oh." Now I got it. "Whatever you do is fine." I strolled on towards the bathroom, rubbing my eyes.  
"There's a toothbrush for you next to the sink and I also laid out a towel for you."  
I thanked her and disappeared in the bathroom.

Her eggs were the best I've ever had.  
"Thanks for the pj's", I said, taking a sip of orange juice.  
"Should I have let you sleep in your clothes?"  
I shrugged my shoulders. She smiled.  
"These eggs are great", I said, putting some of it in my mouth.  
"Thanks", Dana replied.  
We ate without saying anything for a while.  
Suddenly she stood up and walked over to the phone. "I should call Assistant Director Skinner and tell him that I'm going to work today."  
I listened curiously. It was a short call. She really just told him that she'd be back today. Actually she didn't even talk to Skinner himself but to his secretary.  
When we were done, I helped her washing up, then we set out for the J. Edgar Hoover building.

Again, I was entirely impressed and stopped in front of the building, while Scully just walked on towards the entrance.  
"You coming?", she shouted.  
I nodded absent-minded but kept staring at the building. "The FBI headquarters", I mumbled more to myself than anyone else. "Located on Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C."  
Dana came back. "What's so special about it?", she wanted to know and looked at the building absolutely unimpressed.  
"It's the J. Edgar Hoover Building", I explained unnecessarily.  
"Yes it is. And I work in there. And I should have started working…", she glanced at her watch. "13 minutes ago. So let's go."  
I averted my eyes and followed Scully up the stairs into the building. It was even more fascinating inside. It was huge. I stopped again and looked up to the ceiling. I let out an amazed "Wooow". Then I looked at the floor. I was standing exactly on that huge round circle that represented the FBI emblem.  
"United States Bureau of Investigation. Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity", I read aloud.  
"No, no, no", Dana complained, as she noticed that I had stopped again, and pulled me away.  
Security guards stood on each side of the metal detector ahead. About 10 people were in a line in front of us. I lined up, but Dana pulled me away again.  
"We're not going in there. We're no tourists. We'll use another entrance."  
"Cooool", I smiled. Dana just shook her head uncomprehendingly.  
We reached an elevator a few minutes later. She pushed the button and we waited.  
"You'll be disappointed", she said.  
I looked at her and asked why, as the doors of the elevator slid open and Scully stepped inside. I followed her, still waiting for the answer. She pressed a button and the doors closed.  
"Our office is in the basement", she then explained.  
The elevator began to move.  
A huge smile appeared on my face. _Our office? She had said our office!  
_"What's so funny?", I heard her say as the doors opened again. But it was probably a rhetorical question because she didn't wait for an answer and just walked on down the small, dark hallway. I stayed close behind her. Lots and lots of shelves bordered the way to the office. The one and only office.  
"That's it", Dana said all of a sudden and stopped in front of a door. She took out her keys and searched for the right one. I stepped forward and looked at the sign which said "Fox Mulder".  
Meanwhile, Scully had found the key and stepped forward as well.  
"Don't call him Fox", she mentioned by the way as she opened the door.


	8. Meeting the man

Chapter 8: Meeting the man 

I was so excited. Mulder's office. I was about to enter Mulder's office. Scully stepped inside at first.  
"Good morning, Mulder!", she said into the room.  
I couldn't see him, since she was standing in front of me and obstructed the view. I know she's not very tall, but I was a few steps behind her and Mulder was sitting at his desk.  
"Hey, Scully. How are you today? Skinner told me you were coming back.", I heard his soft, mumbling voice.  
So now I would meet the man I admired so much. The man who'd always ramble so smart about space and alien life forms, conspiracies and his relationship to Scully. The man whose life was the X-Files. The man who searched so passionately for the truth and his sister. The man who didn't have a bed and used to sleep on his sofa. The man who…looked so damn sexy in his suites.  
"This is Amy", Dana's voice interrupted my thoughts.  
She had gone into the office already and I stood in the door like a fool. Mulder looked at me patiently. I was incredibly nervous.  
"Hello!", I said, way too piercing and introduced myself.  
"Hi, I'm special agent Fox Mulder", he replied. "So, what's this all about?" He didn't ask me in particular. Actually the question applied to both of us.  
Dana got there first and told him how we met and that we were searching my family and that I lived with her until the problem was solved. She ended with: "But there's something else that Amy didn't want to tell me yesterday." Dana threw a look at me.  
I had eyed the office and listened to Scully now.  
"Yes, but I think I can tell you now. As I've mentioned before, something really strange happened to me. But I'll start from the very beginning."  
Both agents listened to me carefully.  
"I was alone at home the other night", I began to tell. "There was a heavy thunder storm outside. I didn't really care, because I wanted to have a nice evening with my favourite TV show. I went into the kitchen to get some juice and potato chips. When I came back, the thunder got louder. The episode I was watching drew to a close and suddenly there was a bright light and a loud bang. The next thing I know is that I woke up in the hospital."  
"Okay", Scully said disappointed. "So what's new about that?"  
"Well," I added. "The show I was watching was a show about two FBI agents named Mulder and Scully. It's called The X-Files."  
Scully's eyebrow went up. I had expected that.  
"What!", she taunted after a while. "So you're saying that you mysteriously got beamed into your TV?"  
Mulder didn't react at all. He just sat at his desk and played with a pen.  
"It sounds absurd when you say it. But if you want to put it that way. Yes", I defended myself.  
"It sounds absurd, 'cause it is."  
"See, I knew you wouldn't believe me. That's why I wanted Mulder to be there when I tell you."  
Mulder who, by the way, still didn't show any helpful reaction besides always looking at the one of us who was talking.  
"Apart from the fact that nobody would want to see a show about us", Scully noted and pointed at her partner and then herself. "It is simply impossible!"  
"Yeah. Just like a genetic mutant who can fit his body through the smallest of spaces and needs to consume 5 human livers to sustain himself for thirty years of hibernation. Or like seeing your father just before he dies, although he is already miles away. Or poltergeist activity in the death of a child, whose grandmother is practicing Old World mysticism to protect her other grandson. Or being abducted and returned with an implant in the neck which, when being removed, causes cancer that can only be healed by putting the implant back in."  
Now I had the attention of both of them. Scully looked at least a little impressed while Mulder looked at me interested.


	9. The truth and nothing but the truth

Chapter 9: The truth and nothing but the truth

"Who told you that?", Scully wanted to know?  
Suddenly I felt like it wasn't right to tell them so much. But it was the only way to prove that I was telling the truth and what would it hurt. It was the past, even for them.  
"Nobody told me, I saw it on TV. I just explained that."  
"Yeah, but…", she didn't know what to say.  
"What else do you know?", Mulder piped up.  
I cogitated for a moment. "Your name is Fox William Mulder you were born October 13, 1961 in Chilmark Massachusetts. Your mother is Teena and your father is William Mulder. He was shot in season 2 episode 25. Anasazi."  
Mulder frowned.  
"Oh sorry. That must have been in uhm…1995. Your sister Samantha was abducted when you were 12. By aliens. Probably. Is that  
enough?"  
"Well, you could have looked that up. All of that", Scully noted.  
"And the other stuff? About Tooms and your abduction and so on?"  
"Files. There are files for those cases."  
_Man this was harder than I had expected.  
_"Alright. But what about…" _I needed something good. _"Yeah, that guy in Never Again. The guy with that tattoo that talked to him. I mean at least he thought it did."  
Scully listened unimpressed. "What about him?"  
"You kissed him. I don't know what else happened but you definitively kissed him."  
Now she got upset. I didn't want her to be angry at me. But I had to convince them. I needed them to help me.  
"What the…", she began but was cut off by Mulder who seemed to be shocked about that fact. "You did what?"  
_Uh oh!  
_Finally he stood up from his chair. Funny how tall he was compared to her.  
"How many people did you tell about that?", I questioned Scully. "Or did you mention that in your report?"  
She looked puzzled and didn't say a word.  
"Scully", Mulder said reproachfully. "Is that true?"  
She obviously didn't know what to say. I had to help her.  
"Hey, hey, hey", I said to agent Mulder. "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. What about you and that vampire woman in 3? While Scully was abducted. I bet that, admittedly, awesome kiss wasn't all that happened that night."  
Now the roles changed and Scully was the one with the reproachful look.  
"Anyway", I tried to change the subject. "What's really important is that I need your help."  
Scully turned to me. "How? I mean if, and I doubt that, but if you're telling the truth, how are we supposed to help you get back to wherever you came from?"  
"I don't know, I'm stumped there."  
"First of all we should try to locate her family", Mulder suggested.  
"But if she doesn't exist in 'our world' then her family doesn't exist either", Scully said, emphasizing the 'our world' in a strange way.  
Mulder began to walk around in the office. "Not necessarily. If I got it right, this is the same world, just another reality. Or dimension, or level, or whatever." He stopped and seemed to think about his own words." However", he uttered and continued to walk around. "It's worth a try."  
"Thank you so much!", I said with a big smile on my face. I was so happy, I wanted to hug him. Of course I didn't.  
I guess Scully noticed the thankful look on my face and gave in. "We could also talk to those people who live at your address", she said and apparently tried not to sound enthusiastic at all.  
Mulder took his jacket and already moved towards the door. "Good idea, Scully! Let's go."

We had to go through various databases but in the end we did find my parents. They both lived in Illinois, but they were obviously not married. My mom had another last name and lived in a town several miles away from my hometown.  
Back in the office Mulder made some calls to arrange a flight to Illinois.  
"Tomorrow morning, 7.31", he announced after he had hung up.  
Scully and I were sitting in chairs in front of the desk.  
"Then we'll have to call Amy's parents and tell them that we're coming to talk to them", Scully mentioned.  
Mulder had a look at the clock on the wall and stood up. "Yes, but first, it's time for lunch. I'm starving."


	10. Abe's

**Scully: You're right, I suppose it would affect their future. It would definitely affect my life if somebody told me this was only a TV show.I'll come to that later in the story. Way to go...**

* * *

Chapter 10: Abe's

Mulder chose a restaurant called Abe's Diner. It was dark, filled with smoke and the menu was rather short. A place only Mulder would go to. Well, and all the weird, bad dressed people in there. He had ordered a cheeseburger, I had ordered a chicken salad and I couldn't really figure out what it was that Scully had on her plate. It didn't look very tasty, though.  
"Great choice!", she said ironically, swallowing a bite of that…stuff.  
Mulder was happy with his burger. "Thanks Scully!"  
Mulder turned to me: "So, a TV show about us, you said?"  
I nodded.  
" Who plays my role then? Tom Cruise?"  
I laughed. "No."  
"Keanu Reeves maybe?"  
"No. David Duchovny."  
He was a little disappointed. "David who?"  
"Duchovny", I said.  
"My god, poor guy. I can't even spell that. I don't know that guy."  
"I suppose that he doesn't exist here. I mean where I come from Mulder and Scully do not really exist. So here David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson don't exist. They are you here and you are them in my reality."  
"Gillian Anderson", Scully said. "You've mentioned her before."  
"Yes, she plays Scully."  
Mulder bit into his burger but hadn't swallowed the chunk when he spoke again. "Makes sense….somehow. I guess."  
He shook his head in confusion.  
"I'm as confused as you are. That's just my conclusion.", I admitted and ate a bit of my salad, which was really good. I already thought about sharing it with Dana, since she looked so unhappy with her meal.  
"What's that David Du…"  
"Duchovny", I helped him out.  
"Yep, what's he like?" Mulder folded his hands and waited for the answer. There was ketchup on his chin.  
"Hm, I've never met him. But I think he's very different than you are. He has a wife and two children."  
"Strange", he said.  
Scully pushed her plate away, although most of the undefined meal was still on it, and looked at her partner. As she spotted the ketchup on his chin she wiped it off with her thumb. I looked down at my salad in order to hide my smile. They were just too cute. Dana turned to me. "If this is a TV show, then people have been watching us for years?"  
"Uhm…" I hesitated. "Yes."  
"All the time?" Mulder asked.  
His anxious look told me what he was thinking.  
"No", I told him. "Don't worry."  
He breathed a sigh of relief.  
"We don't see much of your private life. It's more like a Best Of your work."  
"I see." He finished his cheeseburger.  
"Of course we do get to know some things about you. We get to know Scully's family."  
She frowned.  
I looked at Mulder again. "We get to know your parents. We know about the videos, the magazines and the women on your answering machine."  
I guess I only mentioned that because I wanted to see his reaction.  
Mulder's face turned red and he took a sip of his water. Scully and I grinned amused.  
"They also showed what happened to your sister."  
"Oh did they?", he asked hopefully.  
"Only the way you perceived it"  
"Hm."  
"I really can't imagine anyone would want to see that stuff", Scully said.  
"In fact", I began to explain. "It was a very popular series. It aired once a week and was broadcasted all over the world, in various languages."  
"You keep saying it was", Mulder noticed. "Isn't it anymore?"  
I ate the rest of my salad before I replied still chewing. "No. It ended three years ago. In 2002."  
"What!", Scully taunted. "So you're not only from another reality but also from the future?"  
It _did_ sound ridiculous. I just hoped that nobody could hear us.  
"Well, from my future. It's not really yours, I'd say."  
"Makes sense….somehow. I guess", Mulder mumbled.

The afternoon was pretty boring. After Mulder had called both of my parents to tell them that they would have to ask them some questions, the two agents worked on reports and read some files. I spent the timereading the Sci-Fi and mystery magazines and articles that lay around. I even found an old issue of The Lone Gunman. I almost freaked out about it while Scully dismissed it as 'crap'."


	11. Illinois part I

Chapter 11: Illinois part I

The next morning Dana woke me up at 5.40. We had breakfast without ruffle and it was enough time for both of us to take a shower and everything.  
"I'm ready", I told her when I was done.  
She eyed me and cocked her head to one side. "You're gonna wear that?"  
"Yes. I mean, that's all I have."  
"Yeah right. Well, follow me."  
We went into the bedroom and Dana opened her closet. "Let's see what we have."  
I chose those clothes from Chinga where Scully is trying to get the doll from the little girl. I remembered those clothes because I already loved that combination when I saw her wearing it. I looked like a different person. I was surprised it actually fit.  
"Looks good", she noted.  
I looked at myself in the mirror. "Not as good as it looks on you, but I think it's okay."  
She glanced at her watch and said that it was time to leave. She wanted to take the bag but I said that I would take it. After all, it had been only a few days since she was released from the hospital.

We met agent Mulder at the airport. We still got there in time. Mulder gave us our tickets and less than half an hour later we were on our way to Illinois.  
It wasn't that good because of turbulence on the flight. But we landed safe and the weather was pretty nice. The sun was shining. I was glad to be back in Illinois. Even if it was just for a few hours.

I was even more glad when we arrived at my dad's apartment. I couldn't wait to see him. I wanted to tell him all the things I had experienced. I had been here for one week now and I started to miss family and friends.  
"Ok, just stay back, we'll talk." Mulder said to me and knocked on the door. A man opened up. It was my father, I was so happy. But then again, it wasn't. He looked different. The beard was gone and he wasn't wearing glasses. I stayed behind the two agents who introduced themselves.  
"Good morning Mr. van Manen", Mulder said. "We're Agents Mulder and Scully, we're with the FBI. May we come in?"  
"Sure." The man stepped back to let us in. I still stayed behind Mulder and Scully. The apartment was clean and kind of empty. There weren't many personal things. No pictures, no flowers, nothing. It was simple.  
"What does the FBI want from me?", the man wanted to know.  
"We would like to ask you some questions, sir."  
"Alright. What kind of questions?"  
"They'll probably seem very weird to you. But we can't go into more detail about it now because it's part of an ongoing investigation. All I can tell you is that we're helping this young women", Mulder replied and stepped aside, so that my father could see me. He glanced at me, then turned back to the FBI man.  
"Do you know her?", Scully questioned  
He looked at me again, longer this time. I already thought he recognized me but then he averted his eyes and negated. I was so disappointed.  
Scully took out a little note with my actual address on it and gave it to him. "Have you ever lived at this address?"  
He looked at the note carefully. "No, never."  
He gave it back to her.  
"Do you live here alone?", Mulder again.  
"Actually my girlfriend Lisa lives here, too. But she's not here. She's in Vancouver right now."  
"Vancouver?"  
"Yes. She's there on business. She says it's really nice up there."  
"Don't know. Never been there."  
"Do you know a Rachel Roberts?", Scully interrupted them. It was the name we had found out to be my mother's name now, or rather, here.  
"No, I'm sorry."  
"What about Rachel Edminton?" Scully tried her maiden-name.  
"Yeah", the man replied. "I know Rachel Edminton. We were together for almost six years. But that was a long time ago."  
"What happened?"  
"Well, it didn't work out. Actually, it's a pity. We even wanted to get married", he reminisced.  
Suddenly I felt very sorry for him.  
"One more question, Mr. van Manen", Scully said. "Do you have children?"  
"No, I don't. Will you tell me what this is all about now?"  
"Sorry, but we can't. Like agent Mulder has pointed out this is an ongoing investigation and we're not allowed to…"  
The man cut her off: "I know, I know. Ok, I'm sorry. But I can't help you. I don't know this girl, I don't know that address and I don't know Rachel anymore."  
"Alright. Thank you for your time. We really appreciate your help."


	12. Illinois part II

Chapter 12: Illinois part II

I was really depressed after seeing my dad. It really hurt that he didn't even recognize me. Although I had assumed that he wouldn't know me it felt as if thunderstruck when he really said it.  
"You gotta turn right there", Mulder guided Scully who was driving the car that we had rented.  
"Stop that", she hissed. "I can read street signs, too."  
"Then why are you not turning right?"  
"I know what I do, Mulder!"

"Ok, we're there. Wabash Terrace in Oak Brook", Scully announced and stopped the car.  
Mulder, who hadn't said a thing and just let her drive looked at her amused. "Nice!", he said. "But we wanted to go to Oakbrook Terrace. North of Wabash County."  
Scully took a deep breath, sighed and started the car again. "Why didn't you say anything?"  
"Well, I did!", he laughed.  
I sat in the back and looked out the window. It looked like this was an industrial area. We passed a large building with black windows. I spotted a sign in front of it that said 'VinylRight - Telemarketing Office'.

Fortunately Oakbrook Terrace wasn't very far away. Mulder was smart enough not to say anything when we finally arrived at the right address. He even opened the car door for Scully. But he only earned a reproachful look for this from Dana, who was probably rather angry at herself than at Mulder. But of course he had to pay for it. A women's thing, I guess.

My mom lived in a pretty big house with a nice backyard. We talked in the very nice living room. Scully, Mulder and me sat on a sofa across from Rachel. Scully explained why we were here and started with her questions. "Do you know Floris van Manen?"  
"Yes, I do, indeed. We almost got married. That was about 18 years ago. Why?"  
"We talked to him in the morning, he said that it didn't work out with you."  
She laughed. That is a delightful circumlocution. We split up because…" she hesitated.  
"Because what?", Scully asked.  
"Well, because I wanted children so bad, but although we tried for so long, I never got pregnant. Only a few weeks after Floris and I had  
split up, I met Dave."  
"Your husband?", Mulder asked.  
"Exactly. 6 weeks later I learned that I was pregnant. I was on top of the moon. We married before the baby was born."  
I couldn't believe it. This was awful. I didn't like the way my mom talked. To me, it felt like she was betraying my father.  
I just looked towards the door as someone passed it.  
_Debbie!_ I was about to call her name, but the front door had already been opened and closed a second later. So I turned to Dana and whispered something into her ear.  
"Mrs. Roberts", Scully interrupted a conversation between my mother and agent Mulder. "Was that your daughter who just left the house?"  
"Yes, that was Debbie."  
"Do you have any other children?"  
"No, Ma'am."  
"How old is Debbie?"  
My sister was 17.Four years younger than me.  
"17", Rachel replied.  
Now I knew what Scully's point was.  
"And you left Floris van Manen 18 years ago?"  
Now Rachel Roberts knew it, too. "What are you saying?"  
She looked upset.  
"I'm just thinking, Mrs. Roberts. Has it ever been proven that your husband is Debbie's father?"  
Now she looked really upset. "No, there's no need to do that. Dave is her father. And you should probably go now."  
Wow, I had never seen my mom like this. What the hell had happened between her and my dad in this reality.  
Mulder already stood up. "No need to kick us out. We're done anyway."

From now on, Mulder was the one to drive the car. We had to drive for about half an hour.  
"Hey it's so quiet in here", he noted all of a sudden. "Don't you think we need some music?"  
Scully and I agreed.  
"Okay, cool." He leaned forward in order to turn on the radio as he discovered a tape. "Oh, there's still a tape in there. I bet someone forgot it."  
He took it out and gave it to me. "You can have it, I don't think anyone misses it."  
I put it in the pocket of the jacket and Mulder could turn on the radio.


	13. Auf den Hund gekommen

Chapter 13: Auf den Hund gekommen

It was 1.12 pm and we hadn't had lunch. This time Scully chose the location. It was a Mexican restaurant on the outskirts. Everyone of us found something that he or she liked. While we were waiting for the food, Scully excused herself and went to the restroom.  
Mulder took advantage of that. "Hey Amy!", he whispered. "What does she say about me?"  
_What kind of question was that?  
_I looked puzzled. "Actually we haven't talked about you."  
"Oh!" Apparently he was disappointed. "Well, of course not. She's such a beautiful woman and I'm just a weird guy with a bad hair style and a huge nose."  
"And awful ties", I added.  
He looked at me, then he looked at his tie. "You think it's the ties?"  
I laughed. "No, Mulder. I think it's nothing. Your nose is fine and your hair is awesome. You look good in your suits. You're a handsome man."  
He looked around tomake surethat nobody could hear us.  
"And Scully knows that", I ended.  
"Hum? How do you know?"  
"Some time ago." I thought about that. "Sometime at the beginning, actually", I corrected myself. "Scully was on the birthday party of her godson. She talked to his mother and said that you were cute."  
Mulder was surprised and smiled. "Wow, that's what she said?"  
"Well, her godson's mother suggested 'What about your partner? Didn't you say he was cute?' then Scully answered 'Who, Mulder? He's a jerk! No, he's not a jerk. He's just devoted to his work.' I think it was something like that."  
Mulder's smile was gone and hejust wanted to react as Scully came back.  
"Who's a jerk?", she wanted to know.  
"Never mind", I answered. Fortunately the waiter came with our orders then.

So far, our trip to Illinois had taught us how my parents lived without me. Now we'd take a look at "our" house.  
From the outside, the house looked just like the one I used to live in. I wanted to show Mulder and Scully around, wanted to show them all my stuff. Impatiently I rang the door bell. A dog began to bark.  
"Must be a little dog", I remarked. "Sounds like our dog. And we have a Yorkshire Terrier."  
"Cute, I love Yorkshire Terrier. I had a dog myself",Scully told me but stopped then and thought about it. "Oh, you already know that."  
The dog kept barking. But now we could hear a voice telling it to be quiet.  
A woman opened the door. She looked at us and wanted to close the door again. "We don't buy anything."  
"We're not selling anything, Mrs. Hiller", Mulder stopped her.  
The little dog, which really was a Yorkshire Terrier came running out through that crack of the door. It barked excitedly, and circled me. I knelt down to pet that little dog.  
"Annie!", I uttered astonished.  
Hiller and the two agents looked at me in confusion.  
"That's Annie", I tried to explain. "My dog."  
Annie licked my cheek and didn't even pay attention to the other people around her.  
Mrs. Hiller smiled. "Wow, it really seems to know you. It strayed to us recently. There was no dog tag. At first we send it away, but it kept coming back. And since it looked hungry and exhausted we decided to keep it until somebody comes to pick it up. And there you are."  
Scully and Mulder exchanged glances.  
Mulder wanted to say something. "Actually, we wanted to…"  
"Never mind", Scully cut him off. "We'll take her with us. We're glad that you took care of her."  
"No problem, I'm glad that it gets to go home."  
They kept talking for a few more minutes, but I didn't listen. I was busy cuddling Annie.

Back in the car they told me that Mrs. Hiller had told them exactly the same that the people in the hospital had alreadyfound out. The Hillers had been living here for more than 30 years and they didn't know anyone by the name van Manen or Edminton. We left the house that, obviously, wasn't our house but Margeret and Bud Hiller's house. I felt homeless and forgotten. But at least I didn't feel so lonely anymore, because now I had Annie. She must have gotten here the same way I had. And she probably ran back home, just like dogs do.  
It was weird. On one hand for me an X-Files fan's dream came true, on the other hand it was a nightmare. I began to think about what if I couldn't go back. I had Mulder and Scully. But after all, I was only another case for them. I wouldn't be able to stay in Scully's apartment.


	14. All too lone gunmen

Chapter 14: All-too lone gunmen

I suppose Mulder saw my sad look or wondered why I didn't say anything while we were driving back to the airport. Whatever it was, he suddenly turned around and said: "Hey, Amy. It's too early to give up hope." I looked up and tried to give him a smile. I thought that was so nice of him.  
"He's right", Scully said and looked at me through the rear-view mirror. "We promised to help you and that's what we'll do. We haven't exhausted all possibilities yet."

Our flight back was way better than the flight to Illinois. We landed in D.C. at 10.13 pm. It had been a long day. So I guess all of us fell asleep pretty soon. Annie didn't leave my side anymore. She slept on the couch with me.

It was Wednesday the 19th. Mulder was already there when we came into the office. He was just hanging up the phone.  
"Hello there, I've been waiting for you", he complained.  
"Sorry, we had to walk the dog first", Scully excused our late arrival.  
"Alright, let's go now, then. They're waiting."  
"Who is?"  
"We're going to visit some friends."  
Scully raised her eyebrow but didn't ask any further questions and just followed him out the door.  
I didn't even take off my jacket.

We drove to a typical dirty alley with lots of cardboard boxes and garbage laying around. Mulder went straight to a door next to a barrel.  
"The Gunmen", Dana taunted "I should have known."  
Mulder knocked on the door and gave her a smile.  
"Why? I think that's cool", I said.  
Mulder pointed at me. "There, do you hear that? She thinks it's cool."  
Scully nodded slowly. "I know, I'm the bad old party-pooper."  
The door opened and a small guy with a hat stared at us. Then he turned around and shouted into the empty room behind him: "Okay guys, you can come out. It's just Mulder."  
Mulder stepped inside followed by his partner.  
"And the wonderful agent Scully", the man added as she passed him. "And uhm…", he followed me with his eyes as I entered the room. "A young lady with a nice b…"  
"Frohike!", Mulder cut him off.  
"Bone structure", he ended his sentence.  
The other two gunmen came out of another room. Langly walked over to one of the many computers they got, while Byers joined us.  
"So, Mulder. What do you need?", he wanted to know.  
"Don't you want to offer us anything to drink first?", Mulder joked.  
Frohike thought about that for a moment. "Actually", he then replied. "No. We're really busy."  
"Ever heard of the HAARP Project?", Langly asked from across the room.  
"It is a scientific endeavour aimed at studying the properties and behaviour of the ionosphere, with particular emphasis on being able to understand and use it to enhance communications and surveillance systems for both civilian and defence purposes", Mulder answered.  
Langly laughed and countered: "That's the official explanation. HAARP claims that the supposed 3,600 kilowatts of energy originating from the project are completely harmless. But actually, HAARP is a giant death ray, based on a design contained in the notes of inventor Nikola Tesla. It's a weather-control machine, an earthquake machine, a giant Mind Control broadcasting machine."  
Scully folded her arms and shook her head. "No UFOs?", she taunted. I listened carefully.  
"In fact, some people claim", Langly continued. "HAARP has something to do with UFOs. Either signalling them, blasting them from the skies, or feeding babies to them."  
"That's pretty darn fascinating!", Scully said. "But can we get to the point, Mulder?"  
"Sure", Mulder commented and turned to Byers. "Is it somehow possible to get into the TV?"  
Byers smiled. "By connecting television with broadband fixed and mobile networks. German companies are working on linking in viewers live either from home or out and about to let them participate in a game show. The viewers are supposed to call in during the show and will be 'beamed into the television studio' via video telephony. But it's going to take some more years until that's possible."  
Mulder rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That doesn't matter. But no, it's not what I'm looking for. I mean actually _get into_ the TV. Really get in the movie you're watching."  
"I don't think so, Mulder. Sorry!"  
"What about that article?", Frohike interfered.  
Byers and Mulder looked at him and said at the same time: "What article?"  
"The article in that one magazine. Star Trek, you know?"  
Now Langly joined us too. "Yeah, I remember that. The guy claimed that he was in Star Trek and got in there through his TV. I think it's somewhere over there", Langly said and pointed at a shelf with a bunch of magazines and newspapers. "I'll search it. One minute, okay?"  
Mulder nodded and glanced at Scully. But she didn't object.


	15. Who is Paul Sherman

Chapter 15: Who is Paul Sherman

„So, who is this young lady you took to our uhm…office", Frohike wanted to know and eyed me once again.  
"I'm Amy. Nice to meet you", I replied before Mulder or Scully could say anything. "I accompany them for a while."  
"Cool. But why?"  
"And there it is", Langly interrupted us and handed Mulder that article he was looking for.  
"Thanks, buddy!", Mulder said and began to read.  
I looked around and saw a black and white picture of some men on a pin board.  
"Victor Klemper", I noted looking at it.  
"You know him?", Byers asked surprised.  
"He conducted terrible experiments on Jewish prisoners during World War II. Operation Paperclip brought NAZI scientists to America in exchange for their scientific knowledge. He was one of them. Just like Wernher von Braun, designer of the V-2 rockets."  
"Wow", Byers commented.  
Next to the picture was a satellite image marked as Mountain Home Air Force Base.  
"Hey, the Mountain Home Air Force Base. Not far away from the Fairfield Idaho Zoo, near Boise. The Base is a UFO hot spot."  
"That's right", said Byers. "You know a lot about those things."  
I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess I just watch too much TV."  
"Uhum", Mulder uttered looking up from the magazine.  
Dana cocked her head with curiosity: "Uhum what?"  
"This is a brief interview with a guy who claims that he was in Star Trek…"  
"The Next Generation!", Langly threw in.  
"Whatever. And he says that he got there through his TV."  
"And how?", Scully questioned.  
"That I don't know. He just says that Picard actually does speak French and that Data can get pretty annoying. Then he rambles almost the rest of the interview about the relationship between William Riker and Deanna Troi. Unfortunately that's all."  
"Uhum!"  
"Not very helpful", I noted.  
"Exactly. Well, maybe if we talk to him he can tell us more. Anything useful."  
The lone gunmen looked at each other in confusion. "Useful!" Byers repeated. "Do you believe this stuff?"  
"As you know, I believe almost everything", Mulder just said and gave the magazine back to Langly. "That guy's name is Paul Sherman. Can you find out his address?"  
"Sure."  
Langly put the magazine away and came back. Mulder looked at him unpatiently.  
"Now?", Langly wanted to know.  
"Yeah, right now."  
"Oh okay, give me a minute."  
Langly walked back to the computer and Frohike took his place.  
I found a shiny, metal device on a table.  
"I know this thing", I mentioned.  
Byers took it and explained: " This looks a lot like a standard video trap for blocking premium cable channels, but…"  
"This device is emitting a signal into people's homes through the television set", I cut him off.  
"Exactly. How do you know?" Byers was surprised. "I don't think they'd show or mention that on TV."  
I just shrug my shoulders.  
"May I ask why you want to talk to this guy?", Frohike said.  
Mulder leaned on a desk and explained: "What if I told you that we're in a TV show and we're just characters of it and someone came in here through the TV?"  
Frohike laughed for a moment, then he stopped as he saw our serious faces. He looked at me, rubbed his chin and said thoughtfully: "You!"  
I nodded shyly.  
He didn't seem to believe me. "What show?"  
I told him a bit about it and ended with: "You three appear every now and then."  
"Oh really?"  
"Yes, Really."  
"If so. Who am I?", Langly wanted to know.  
"That strange guy with the glasses and long hair who wears weird shirts."  
"What about me?", asked Frohike.  
"Hum, you think Scully is hot. And…actually, I don't know much about you guys. But you got your own show because the audience liked you."  
Now Frohike showed some interest and sounded proud. "Oh really?"  
"Yes. But I never watched it. I think it was a flop."  
Mulder grinned behind Frohike's back. "Too bad, man", he commented and turned to Langly. "Already got something?"  
"Yeah, he doesn't live very far away from D.C."


	16. Shermania

Chapter 16: Shermania

Langly was right. Paul Sherman did live near Washington. In a room under the roof, in his mother's house. Mrs. Sherman was about 65 years old and a widow. She led us upstairs to her son's room. Then she went back downstairs again, leaving us alone. It was a pretty big room with a wooden floor and lots of posters on the wall. Star Trek posters, of course. There was Star Trek stuff everywhere. Books, DVD's, clocks, lights, various spaceship models and even a life size cardboard Spock. Altogether it looked like a Star Trek fan shop.  
"Good god!", Scully said as she came up the stairs and saw the room. "I thought this guy was 31 years old."  
"Oh, he is", Mulder assured her.  
Dana turned to me with an anxious look: "But your place doesn't look like this, does it?"  
"No", I shook my head.  
She breathed a sigh of relief.  
"Not that bad."  
We stood next to the stairs and looked around. At a desk and in front of a computer there was Paul Sherman. He was surfing the net and didn't even seem to notice us. We stepped closer.  
"Paul Sherman?", Scully asked in his direction.  
He shrugged and turned around immediately: "Yes." He looked at us for a second before he said: "Who the hell are you?"  
"Special Agents Mulder and Scully, we're with the FBI. We'd like to talk to you about an interview you gave about participating in Star Trek."  
"The Next Generation", he remarked.  
"Of course."  
"Well, why does the FBI care about that? And I didn't _participate_. I was there, I mean..really."  
Now Mulder continued the conversation. "That's the point. We hope to find out more about it, actually."  
"So you can use it to manipulate and control people? Noooo, I won't tell you anything. I may not have a graduation and I may not have a job, but I'm not that stupid."  
At that moment Mrs. Sherman came back with a bottle and 4 glasses in her hands.  
"Some juice?"  
Paul waved it aside. "This is not a good moment."  
"Ok, I'll just put it on the table Paul."  
So she did and was gone again.  
"We don't want to use it against anyone and we don't do this for the government", Mulder explained. "In fact, we want to help somebody."  
Sherman smiled convincingly. "Really? That's so heart warming." Then the smile vanished. "But I don't believe you." He turned around and paid attention to his computer screen. "If you'd excuse me now. There's an important discussion about Data's love life post-emotion-chip going on here."  
When Mulder didn't react, Scully leaned over to him an whispered: "Let's go, Mulder. This guy is crazy!"  
"I think", I began to tell Paul. "That the relationships before the emotion chip are much more interesting to talk about."  
"Hm!", Sherman uttered and looked at me.  
We heard steps coming up the stairs, so I waited. His mom appeared with a plate in her hand.  
"Cookies?"  
"Mooom, please! Would you leave us alone!"  
She put them next to the other things on the table.  
"Sure, I'm sorry baby."  
"And don't call me that."  
She wanted to say something but her son just waved and she left.  
"So", I continued when she was gone. "Data had that brief intimate relationship with Tasha Yar in 2364. 3 years later he attempted to pursue a romantic relationship with another crewmate, Jenna D'Sora. Post-emotion-chip, all I can think of is the Borg Queen. There wasn't much obvious."  
Now I had Sherman's attention. "But isn't that what makes it so interesting? The relationships where you have to read between the lines, the ones that aren't obvious?"  
I realized how Mulder and Scully exchanged careful looks.  
"Your right!", I agreed.  
"Too bad Langly isn't here, he'd love to join your discussion", Mulder noted.  
Now he had Paul's attention. "Langly? That Langly?"  
"Well, I only know one. And I doubt there are so many."  
"The Lone Gunmen Langly?", he asked excitedly.  
The agent realized how impressed Sherman was and only replied neutrally: "Yep! The Lone Gunman Langly"  
"Holy smoke! You know the Lone Gunman Langly?"  
Mulder nodded slowly: "I know all three of them. They're friends of mine. They've helped me many times. And I help them if I can."  
Sherman jumped up and pointed at his bed. "Man, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I have a subscription. I read every issue of their magazine. Please, sit down. I'd love to answer all your questions."  
We sat down on his bed and watched him walking over to the table with the cookies and juice.  
"Some juice?", he asked and handed each of us a glass.  
"Thanks", we said all at once when we had our juice. Paul nodded and already stood by the table again, holding up the plate.  
"Cookies?"


	17. Answers

Chapter 17: Answers

It must have looked like a children's birthday party. The four of us with the juice and the cookies in this room. Paul Sherman sat down on his office chair and arranged his glasses.  
"So, what do you want to know?"  
Mulder swallowed a cookie. "Well, what exactly happened back then?"  
"Almost a year ago, I sat right there where you're sitting now and I watched an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. There was a thunderstorm outside. All of a sudden the lightning stroke in. It knocked me out or so. I can't remember what happened then."  
A pause.  
That story sounded familiar. It approved my story and for the first time I had the feeling that I wasn't insane.  
"All I know", Paul then continued. "Is that I woke up in sickbay. On the USS Enterprise. They couldn't find anything wrong, so I was taken to the captain one day laterafter I had told them where I was from. He was very nice, listened to my story and although he didn't believe it, he allowed me to stay as a guest."  
Paul had a big smile on his face.  
"I see", Mulder began. "But how did you manage to get back here?"  
"I didn't."  
We exchanged confused looks then concentrated on Sherman again.  
"Look. I didn't have to. It happened on its own."  
We looked even more confused.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, the events and time span we see on TV are prescribed, specified. Because we know what happened or happens at that particular point of time, so it's predetermined, if you want to call it that. The time between those predetermined events is free. It's an unknown quantity. We don't know what happens between the episodes."  
"And that's when you get into the show?", Scully asked.  
"Yeah. But as soon as the next episode takes place, I wasn't intended to be there, I guess. And so I got back. Just as abrupt as I got there."  
"I understand", Mulder said and gulped another cookie with a sip of juice. "  
Sherman reflected for a moment.  
"I had a great time on the Enterprise. I met many people of the crew and told them all about the upcoming problems and experiences they were going to have and how to cope with them."  
"But didn't that affect their future?", Scully asked surprised.  
"I guess it would have if they remembered it."  
"Hum?"  
"Aapparently they forgot everything I had told them and even forgot me by the time I left."  
Sherman reported all of this so calm and confident, it was hard to dismiss it as nonsense. Even for Scully who listened as interested as I did.  
"How do you know? How do you know they didn't do everything different and we just didn't get to see it?"  
Again he arranged his glasses before he talked. "Because I was there again. Later. And they didn't remember me nor anything I had told them. They made the same mistakes I had warned them about."  
"You were there again?", Mulder repeated puzzled.  
"Yes. A few months later. Shortly after I had given that interview you read."  
"Oh."  
"After it had happened for the first time, I tried it again whenever there was a thunderstorm. Finally, it worked. It happened the same way. I was watching Star Trek and there was a thunderstorm. Lightning stroke in, I woke up in sickbay."  
Scully frowned. "If it has happened to you twice within such a short period of time, then why doesn't it happen to more people? Every time there is a thunderstorm, I bet thousands of people watch TV. Why don't they get _beamed_ in there?"  
Paul turned to his computer while he replied. "I've asked myself the same question, Ma'am."  
He brought up a website about lightning. "I did some research. First of all, not every thunderstorm is equal. In fact there is lots about lightning that we can't explain precisely."  
He paused and looked around on that website. Suddenly he seemed to have found what he was looking for. "Ah, there we go. There are even phenomena like Sprites and Jets that we know virtually nothing about. They have only recently been documented using low light level television technology. The first images of a sprite were accidentally obtained in 1989."  
"So you think that's what's responsible for what happened to you?"  
Paul turned to us again and shook his head. "No, I'm just saying that there's enough room for speculations. There are phenomena we don't know anything about.This probably can't be explained yet. But that's not everything. I also noticed that it only happens after the episode ends and before the end credits appear. Just at that particular moment, when the lightning strikes right then. I suppose that reduces the probability a lot, too."  
Scully nodded slowly. "Probably."  
"Well", Paul ended his explanation. "Various things have to come together to make it happen. And I can tell you that it's not easy. Of course I still try."  
That was all he could tell us. So, a few minutes later we were on our way out, we had just reached the stairs as Paul spoke again. "I've also made up my mind about something else."  
We stopped and glanced at him.  
"What if someone gets into a movie? There's lots of unpredetermined time. So, maybe it has happened before. But those people never came back."  
Sherman shrugged his shoulders and sat down. "Unless there's a sequel."  
"Thank you very much Mr. Sherman. You've been a great help to us", Mulder said and walked down the stairs followed by his partner and me.  
"You are welcome. And say hello to the Lone Gunmen from me", we heard him calling down the stairs.


	18. Oh Happy Days

Chapter 18: Oh Happy Days

Back in the office, Mulder went straight to his desk and began to rummage around, looking for some things.  
We stood a few steps away, watching him.  
"What are you doing, Mulder?", Scully wanted to know.  
"I think it's time to add a file about this phenomenon. I mean, we have to put on record what we got to know." He sounded enthusiastic when he said that.  
Finally he had found an empty file folder. He threw it on the desk and sat down in order to begin writing his first report.  
"I mean have you thought about the options!", he said to no one in particular.  
"Options?", Scully grimaced.  
Mulder was already busy writing. "Yeah, I mean think about it. If they could just learn to control it. Things like beaming could be tested practically. Time travel, weapons. Everything you can imagine. Someone just has to put it on TV."  
"Mulder I don't think that…"  
But he didn't listen to her. "Or it would be possible to manipulate people. I mean anything they want you to believe, they just have to let your favourite TV star tell you. They can build any kind of scenario and practice it. Let people run through it or whatever. It's also a great way of propaganda, don't you think?"  
She didn't. She just raised her eyebrow. "I think you're overreacting, Mulder. We don't know much about it and we can't prove anything."  
Mulder held up the new file. "Yes we do. You know, I'm surprised that the government hasn't shown more interest in this."  
Scully gave up and let him do it.

Mulder questioned me every now and then to add more details to his report. He was just talking to me about the thunder storm for the fourth or fifth time when Scully interrupted us.  
"There's one thing I don't understand", she said staring at a Playboy calendar.  
"Which is?", Mulder asked.  
"Oh", she said as if she had just awakened from a dream. "Didn't you say that this show aired weekly?"  
The question applied to me. So I nodded.  
"Well", she continued. "Then why are you still here? It's Thursday the 20th. You've been here for more than a week."  
I thought about that for a while. She was right I had arrived on the 11th. But I couldn't think of any explanation.  
"Oh no", Scully uttered, looking at the calendar again.  
"What now?", Mulder asked.  
"There's this team seminar on Monday."  
"Team seminar?", he was confused.  
"Yeah", Scully smiled constrainedly. "We'll go there with these two other agents."  
"Damn it." He made a pout.  
"I hate it as much as you do, but we have to go there."  
"That's it!", I piped up and immediately had their attention.  
"What is what?"  
"The seminar. Detour. Your next case."  
"You know what's going to happen during that team seminar?"  
"No, don't worry. You'll never get there."  
Mulder's pout turned to a big smile. "Awesome!"  
"That's when I go back home. And I also know the reason why I'm still here."  
Scully sat down and listened.  
"The next episode, the one after Redux II and before Detour was Unusual Suspects. An episode about how you met the Lone Gunmen. That Susanne Modeski story."  
"Ah yes, I remember."  
"And since that was in 1989 we don't know what happened after Redux II and before Detour. The times that the episodes take place don't seem to be identical with the times that they were aired. It's probably just some day or even days within the week they were aired, because sometimes a story takes place within more then one day. And the show was aired on Sundays, but you don't really work on Sundays."  
"So you'll disappear on Monday?", Scully asked.  
"Correct. On the way to that seminar."  
"Then we should seize the time and spend an evening together before you leave", Scully suggested.  
"Good idea", I smiled.  
"How about tonight?", Scully said.  
"Sure", Mulder agreed. "What are we gonna do?"  
We got along with each other pretty well by now and although I was very happy to go back home, I already missed my two new friends. I was glad that I would have the chance to say good bye.  
"We could meet in my apartment, have dinner and then watch a movie."  
"Sounds good."  
Scully walked over to a drawer. "Don't you have videos in here, Mulder?"  
He watched her. "Well, yeah."  
That was all she wanted to know. She opened it and took out some of them.  
"Okay, we have porn, An alien autopsy, the World's Deadliest Swarms and more porn."  
I laughed and Mulder just shrug his shoulders.  
Scully sighed. "Ok, we'll rent a movie. Any suggestions?"


	19. Skinman

Chapter 19: Skinman

I just wanted to recommend a good movie for our video evening when the office door opened. A tall, strong man entered the room without saying a word. But he didn't burst in like a madman, he just walked in, smooth and confident. In a way, even elegant. Although he was bald, he didn't appeared old but rather prudent or wise, like a father figure. The look on his face was serious. He still had a hand on the doorknob as Scully spoke.  
"Director Skinner, what a surprise!", she smiled affectedly.  
"Agents", he responded and closed the door with a cautious _click.  
_He was more impressive than I had thought. A certain authority emanated from him.  
Walter Skinner gazed at Scully for a second then his look moved to Mulder.  
"So what is it you are working on?", his tone was accusatory.  
Mulder acted the innocent: "What do you mean?"  
"I'm talking about three tickets to Illinois. I can't remember assigning you to a case you needed to go to Illinois for."  
With calm determination, his look rested on Mulder.  
"Actually", he then added. "I can't recall assigning you to any case at all."  
Now Mulder smiled excusatory.  
"If I may say something", Scully piped up. "It's true. We are working on something and we're really sorry that we didn't inform you. But it wasn't our intention to pass you over. We just haven't had the time to get our reports done. In fact, we didn't have enough information to actually write a report."  
"Well, do you now?"  
"Uhm, maybe."  
"Then, what is it about?"  
At least the Assistant Director had calmed down.  
"Do you remember that time travel case, where that scientist managed to go back in time to prevent himself from making an invention that  
would allow time travel?", Mulder asked.  
"Yes, but it wasn't…", Skinner wanted to reply but was cut off by Agent Mulder.  
"It's just like that…but completely different."  
"Agent Mulder, I'm not willing to play your little games, so don't fool me."  
"Oh Sir, I'm not trying to fool you. I just can't really explain the situation. But I promise that you'll read it all in our report. Then you can draw your own conclusions."  
Skinner threw a suspicious look at him. "Alright. I want your report on my desk. Tomorrow morning."  
It certainly didn't sound like a suggestion but like an order.  
"Of course. We planned meeting us tonight, anyway."  
Skinner frowned and Mulder quickly added: "To finish the report."  
Skinner nodded and turned to leave. At the door he once again reminded Mulder: "Tomorrow morning on my desk"  
I was the first to speak after the Assistant Director had left.  
"He looks taller than on TV."  
"Hm", Mulder just uttered displeased.  
"I would have kissed him too for that piece of paper", I noted amused, looking at Dana.  
"What!", both at once.  
"When Mulder gets lost in the Bermuda Triangle. He's on that British ship during World War 2, with all the NAZIs on it. Scully is there as well. With the scientist. To protect him, I think."  
They looked at me as if I was insane.  
"NAZIs?"  
"Yeah. Spender is one of them."  
"Spender?"  
"Yes. And CSM."  
"CSM?"  
"Oh yeah."  
At that moment I noticed their strange looks. "I know, it sounds a little confusing."  
"A little!", Scully taunted.  
"Yes, but it's a very good episode. Especially because Mulder kisses you, or your World War 2 ego, and cause he tells you that he loves you."  
Scully rolled her eyes: "Oh brother!"  
Mulder had a pleased smile on his lips.  
Suddenly he acted like an idea had come to his mind.  
"So", he began. "What else can you tell us?"  
I looked puzzled. "About what?"  
"For example, about my sister. What happened to her? I assume you know something about it."  
"Oh, as far as I remember it stays with the _abducted by aliens to be_ _taken to a cloning program _story."  
Mulder's mouth dropped open. He let the _news_ sink for a moment before he pointed at me, looked at Scully and said: "See, I knew it. I told you."  
Then his look rested on me again. "How can I help her?"  
I honestly didn't know what to tell him.  
"I'm afraid you can't. Both of you will have a long dangerous way to the Truth. But in the end you'll get to know it."  
Mulder seemed to almost burst with curiosity: "Know what?"  
I chuckled. "Ha, yeah. Good question. That's why I was watching the whole show again. To finally understand it. It's really, really complicated, and I'm afraid you'll have to find out yourself."  
The disappointment was written in his face.  
"Okay", he said as neutral as possible and glanced at his watch. "Uhm well okay, we can talk about it later. It's time to go home. I'll see you later. I'll get a movie. What time am I supposed to be there?"  
"With dinner and everything...hmm. Of course Amy and I have to go buy and cook something."  
She thought about it for a while, then finally she came up with a time: "8 o'clock."


	20. A walk in the dark

Chapter 20: A walk in the dark

After we had gone shopping, Scully and I started cooking. "How about lasagna?", Scully had suggested. I love lasagna so I was virtually enthusiastic about that idea. It was going to be an easy lasagna with lean ground beef, mushrooms, three types of cheese plus some oregano and basil. That was Dana's recipe, said she got it from her sister. The lasagna had been in the oven for 20 minutes now. So about 10 minutes 'til it was done. If it tasted just half as good as it smelled then it was the most delicious lasagna I had ever had. Impatiently, I looked into the oven.  
"Looks great!", I noted.  
"Yes, but stop opening the oven door. All the heat escapes."  
I stepped away from the oven and helped Dana setting the table. Annie came in from the living room and ran around nervously between us. When she also started whimpering I looked at the clock on the wall and said: "Hey Dana, we got 20 minutes. Annie needs to go for a walk. Can you do the rest without me?"  
"Sure", she answered. "We're done anyway. I'm just waiting for the lasagna. Then I'll go dress up a bit."  
I smiled friendly, took Annie's leash and a coat and left the apartment.

The vespertine air felt cool and bracing. Yet, I didn't want to stay out here any longer than necessary. It was already quite dark and ,walking down the road with the dog on the leash, I had an eerie feeling. I guess, though I didn't see anything unusual, I felt somehow observed. Anxiously, I walked on until Annie eventually sat down and did her business on the grass. I hummed the first song that came to my mind while waiting. Ironic by Alanis Morissette in this case. A cool breeze touched my face. I shivered and quickly turned up the collar of my coat.  
"Hurry up, Annie!", I told her and looked around to make sure there was really nobody watching us. Again, I didn't see anything unusual. I was the only one here. The only light came through the windows of the houses behind me. Then a sudden rustling some meters away. I shivered again but this time it wasn't because of the wind. I held my breath. _That's just a squirrel. _I said to myself. _There's nothing to be afraid of.  
_An uneasy feeling spread through my veins like cold water.  
"Hurry up!", I urged Annie and noticed that she was done and was just sniffing around now.  
I believed to see a movement next to a tree. I had this image on my mind of someone jumping out from behind the tree and then attacking me. Your mind makes up all kinds of weird and scary scenarios when you're afraid. It also plays tricks on you. So I thought to see shadows and shapes everywhere.  
"Let's go", I whispered and pulled on the leash.  
We went back home quickly. I kept an eye on the sidewalk behind us. I thought I saw someone hiding behind a car, but then again, it could have been my imagination. _I got the dog,_ I thought to myself. Of course, since Annie was a Yorkshire Terrier, she wouldn't have been very helpful. We were only a few houses away from home as she began to bark. I stopped and she kept straining at the leash, barking angrily. I stared into the dark concentrated. Now, although it was still pretty far away, I could make out a shape, due to a street lamp next to it. It was a person coming down the road. Annie growled and barked at the person while it was coming closer. I thought I would probably be at the house faster than him. So I ran. To my appall, when he saw me running he did the same, approaching me rapidly. With the dog on the leash I was clearly at a disadvantage. I almost fell as she strained more, trying to get faster.  
The other person was about 10 meters away from me when I reached the entrance. I jumped up the steps and nervously searched for the right bell. "Damn it!", I uttered. Meanwhile, the other person had stopped running. I found Scully's bell and rang it nervously.  
"Open up, come on!", I said pushing it again. I desperately tried to see something through the front door.  
The other one walked up the entrance. I heard his steps on the concrete floor.  
"Hey!", he said.  
I shrugged, then turned around and looked at him. I recognized Mulder.  
"God damn it!", I said. "I thought somebody was persueing me."  
Mulder looked behind himself. "I didn't see anyone. Guess you're safe. I just saw you and Annie and hurried." He smiled charmingly.  
The door hummed.  
"Very funny!", I said to Mulder pushing the door open. "I was really afraid."


	21. Dinner for three

Chapter 21: Dinner for three

Scully's apartment door was open when Mulder and I got there. I walked in first. Dana was just coming out of the bathroom. She had dressed up and looked fabulous. She wore dark, pin striped trousers and a cream-colored blouse with a plunging neckline so that you could see the cross she always wears around her neck. She also wore make-up and her red hair looked smooth and silky.  
"Look who I brought with me", I said as Mulder stepped through the door behind me.  
She looked at him and responded: " Perfect. The lasagna is done. We can eat right away."  
Mulder wore jeans, a black shirt and his black leather jacket. In his hands he had a plastic bag.  
"I'm gonna put this here", he mentioned and put the bag on a little table near the door. He took off his jacket and glanced at Scully. "Wow, I didn't know it was that kind of video evening."  
"Scully smiled self confidently. "It's not. That's alright", she said and pointed at his clothes.  
"Oh, but I wanted to change", I piped up and walked towards the bedroom.  
I had bought some new clothes for this evening  
While I changed, Mulder sat down in the kitchen and Scully took the lasagna out of the oven.  
When I came back, the lasagna was in a lasagna dish on the table and they were both sitting and waiting for me.  
Scully had put candles on the table, it looked really nice. The meal did taste as good as it smelled. We had wine with it.  
"So, what's in the bag?", Scully questioned before taking a sip.  
"The file and the movies", Mulder replied.  
"The file?", Dana asked surprised.  
"Well, yes", her partner mumbled with a full mouth. "If we want to give Skinner the file tomorrow, we should go through it again. Don't you think?"  
She though about that for a moment, then agreed with a nod  
"Movies?", I repeated what Mulder had said.  
"Mhm", he confirmed briefly.  
"How many did you get?"  
He swallowed and said: "Three. I couldn't decide and didn't know what you girls like, so I took three for you to choose from."  
"Good", I said.  
Scully looked rather suspicious. "What did you get?", she asked.  
He stood up, walked over to the table, took the plastic bag and came back. He took out the first movie, held it up and proudly presented: "Plan 9 from Outer Space!"  
Scully and I exchanged looks than said in unison: "No way!"  
He looked disappointed.  
"Mulder", Scully began. "Haven't you seen this movie already?"  
He nodded hastily, like a little boy. "35 times."  
"My goodness", Scully uttered. "What else did you get?"  
He put the first video aside, rummaged around in his bag and took out another one  
"Men In Black", he announced.  
"Yeah!", I said immediately.  
But Scully just shook her head. "Not really! What else?"  
Mulder put that one aside too and took out the last. "Jerry Maguire", he said barely avid.  
"I'd watch that", Scully said and grinned.  
Mulder sat down and summed up: "Ok, so I want to watch Plan 9 from Outer Space, Amy is for Men In Black and you'd go for Jerry Maguire. Bad situation."  
"Then we have to flip a coin", I suggested.  
"Well, we got three movies a coin has two sides. That won't help", Scully noted.  
_That was true.  
_"Plan 9 from Outer Space because I rented the movies", Mulder said.  
I dismissed that by claiming that I may choose the movie since I was the guest.  
"Sure", Scully said. "But I am the host and I say Jerry Maguire."  
I looked around and spotted a cup with M&M's on the table in the living room. "I have an idea", I said and stood up to get the M&M's.  
"I'll close my eyes and grab an M&M", I explained. "If it's a red one we will watch Men In Black, if it's a green one we'll watch Jerry  
Maguire and if it's a pink M&M we'll watch Plan 9 from Outer Space."  
They both agreed and I did just like I had said.  
"Hold on!", Mulder exclaimed. "There are no pink M&M's."  
But I already held up a green one. "Jerry Maguire it is!"


	22. It could have been such a great evening

Chapter 22: It could have been such a great evening

The candles on the living room table were burnt down and the flames flickered desperately, fighting for their lives. All other lights were turned off. I sat in the middle of Scully's couch between the two agents. All of us stared at the TV, which lit up the room in momentary flashes as Dorothy whispered: "_I think you should not come in, or come in depending on how you feel_."  
Scully nodded at that, drew up her legs and wrapped her arms around her knees. She was wearing warm, comfortable socks now.  
"_Same to you_", Jerry Maguire replied to Dorothy.  
"Woaah", Mulder complained impatiently. "Soppy!"  
"_No. I have to go in. I live here."  
_Scully and I smiled amused. Mulder didn't react at all.  
"_Right. __I'll come in_", Maguire decided.  
"Finally!", Mulder said then turned to me. "Hey, has my alter ego in your reality been in a movie with Tom Cruise?"  
"Mhh no. But with Julia Roberts", I answered.  
Scully raised an eyebrow in suspicion.  
"Ew wow!", Mulder commented.  
"But he's most famous for his role as Fox Mulder, which he doesn't like, I think."  
"He doesn't like that role?"  
"Well, what I heard is that everyone identified him with his role and that pissed him off. So he decided to kick off his movie career and left the show…"  
Mulder cut me off: "He left the show? Does that mean I'm going to leave, too?"  
_I hadn't thought about that.  
_"Yes", I told him soberly.  
"Where do I go?"  
"Looking for the truth somewhere."  
Scully raised the other eyebrow.  
"I know, it's not cool. But you'll come back for the finale"  
"Oh", they said in unison and thoughtfully concentrated their attention on the movie again.  
Only a few minutes later Scully suddenly raised her forefinger and whispered. "Did you hear that?"  
I hadn't heard anything, so I negated. Mulder did the same.  
"What was it?", he questioned.  
"Well, it was like a…" She quickly turned her head to the door. "There it was again."  
This time we had heard it too. It was a _click_-sound and it came from behind the door.  
The candles had gone out and the dimly light that came from the TV set immersed the room.  
"What is that?", I asked uneasily, remembering the walk with Annie.  
"I don't know", Scully said. "But somebody should check it out."  
We both gazed at Mulder.  
"Alright", he agreed, stood up and walked over to the door. We watched him tensely.  
"Women!", we heard him mumble.  
He grabbed the doorknob, turned it around and carefully opened the door.  
"Somebody there?", Mulder asked half-heartedly and as nobody replied he turned around and let the door fall to. But before it could shut behind him, someone pushed it open and pulled a weapon.  
"Behind you!", Scully screamed and pointed at the intruder. Mulder pulled his own weapon and turned around. Now the two men were facing each other.  
Everything happened so fast I couldn't think. I just reacted on reflex and rolled down from the couch to hide behind it.  
Scully, on the other hand, jumped up and tried to run into the bedroom where she kept her gun.  
"Don't move!", the intruder exclaimed and aimed his gun at her. She immediately stopped. From where I was, I could barely see what was going on. I did, however, recognize the intruder. It was Alex Krycek. Ratboy. _What the hell was he doing here?  
_Krycek was pointing the weapon at Mulder again now.  
"What the hell are you doing here?", agent Mulder asked right after I had thought it.  
Krycek laughed.  
"_Come on, Ray!_", a voice sounded from the television.  
Krycek glanced at it. And then another voice "_Ray, let's go!_"  
"Oh, looks like this was a bad time to show up here," he said. "I'm so very sorry. I hope I didn't interrupt you with something."  
Music began to play and the credits faded in.  
"What do you want?", Mulder asked again.  
Both men were standing just a few steps away from the couch pointing their guns at each other. Alex Krycek near the apartment door, Mulder closer to the kitchen. Fortunately Krycek hadn't discovered me yet.  
"Oh, right", he explained. "I'm here because of the case you're working on. I want the file."


	23. Decisions

Chapter 23: Decisions

„What do YOU need the file for?", Mulder asked puzzled.  
"It's for someone else. I'm just doing my job", Alex Krycek explained.  
Mulder smirked unafraid. "Oh, so you are just the errand boy."  
"Shut up and go get the file!"  
Mulder turned around to walk over to the kitchen table with the plastic bag on it but he was stopped by Krycek.  
"Hold on!", his opponent said and pointed his gun at Scully, who was still standing near the bedroom door. "Move away from the door!", he ordered.  
Scully stepped back to the couch from where she observed everything calmly.  
Meanwhile, I wished that I could just vanish. I tried to hide as good as I could behind the sofa.  
Mulder had taken the bag with the file in it from the table and went back to his former position, still holding his weapon in his hand. I remember thinking that they could both just as well have thrown their guns away.  
"Is it in there?", Krycek asked, glancing at the bag.  
Mulder nodded.  
"Show me!", the other man ordered.  
Mulder opened it and showed him the file.  
"Good, now give it to me!"  
Mulder glanced at the bag in his hand, then looked at Krycek. "Why do they want it?"  
"Don't you know what can be done when we can control this phenomenon? If we find out how it works?"  
"Yeah, I know. But why do THEY want it?"  
"Oh Mulder, you are so naïve. That'll be the perfect way to make the people believe the lies. They've been working on a project for a while. To find a way to set it off whenever they want to. Someone came across that Paul Sherman guy. That's how it all started. So he was being observed. And then you guys showed up at his place. Of course you are well known to the group that leads this project and they knew where to find you."  
"Hmhm", Mulder nodded. "And how did you know the file would be here and not in my office?"  
"Well, we have our sources."  
It was quiet for a moment. The room drowned in thoughtful silence as the movie credits ended and the TV screen turned black. Then  
Mulder angrily exclaimed: "Skinner! He was the only one who knew. He must have betrayed us."  
"Skinner", Krycek laughed and his artificial left arm swung in time to his voice. "Skinner knows nothing. Of course he was our source. But he didn't actually told us. I mean, you know. We have our tricks."  
Krycek impatiently waved his gun. "And now give me that damn file!"  
"No, I will not support these men's plans."  
Krycek was about to lose his patience. "Give it to me. Now!", he shouted.  
Suddenly, we heard something scratching on the bedroom door.  
"What is that?" Krycek asked unfriendly.  
_Annie!  
_She had been sleeping in there and someone had closed the door. Now she was locked in the bedroom.  
Nobody told him. So Krycek walked over to the door with his gun still pointed at Mulder. He opened it a crack and peeked inside.  
Mulder used that moment, when Krycek was distracted, to come closer to the couch in order to see if I was ok. I felt that I had to act now. This was the right time. So, as I saw him looking behind the couch I nodded and whispered: "Give me the bag!"  
He frowned but didn't say anything.  
"Don't you trust me?" I asked and repeated: "Give me the bag. This is a much safer place."  
I hated to lie to him.  
He lifted the plastic bag over the couch and handed it to me.  
"What are you doing?" Krycek asked angrily. He had closed the door again after realizing that it was just a small dog in there. Annie, desperately wanting to get out, started whimpering and kept scratching.  
"Nothing", Mulder assured him.  
"Where's the plastic bag?"  
Mulder shrugged his shoulders.  
"You bastard. I want that file!"  
"Well, you won't get it", Mulder taunted.  
As if to prove him wrong I crawled out of my hiding place and walked over to Krycek with the bag.  
At first, he aimed the gun at me and I stopped. But when he noticed that I was going to give it to him he aimed it at Mulder again.  
"Here, take it!", I said determined.  
Of course Krycek couldn't as long as he was holding a gun.  
" Put it around my wrist", he told me. I glanced at Mulder who insistently shook his head. But I didn't care. I just did what Krycek had told me and got back to the sofa. Alex Krycek nodded satisfied and slowly moved backwards toward the apartment door.


	24. Right or wrong

Chapter 24: Right or wrong

As soon as the door had been closed, Mulder ran over, opened it and jumped out into the hall. "Can you see him?", Scully shouted, but Mulder was already running downstairs. Scully got to the window and looked outside. I did the same. We could see the entrance of the house and the stairs. For a while nothing happened, then there was a man running out of the house and disappearing in the dark."There's Krycek", Scully said rather to herself than to me.  
A few seconds later Mulder left the building, looked around for a moment and then took up the chase again.  
"Krycek is too fast", Scully remarked.  
I agreed. For minutes we just stood there and stared into the seemingly infinite darkness. We heard the sound of a car door being slammed. Only a few seconds later a car passed by. No Mulder. Scully began to worry.  
"He can't really see anything out there. Probably Krycek had a car parked near the house. What takes him so long?"  
We kept staring. Then finally, after some more endless minutes, we spotted Mulder. He looked exhausted. Out of breath he hauled himself up the stairs.  
Scully was relieved. "Thank god!", she said and walked over to the door in order to head him off.  
"You ok?", she asked when he entered the apartment. She immediately began to examine him for wounds.  
"I'm fine", Fox Mulder replied and stopped all of a sudden when he spotted me.  
If looks could kill I had been deader than the proverbial doornail.  
„What the hell?", Mulder exclaimed and threw an angry look at me.  
I frowned.  
"What did you do?"  
I shrugged my shoulders.  
"I thought you were on our side", Mulder said with a whiff of disappointment mixed with a good portion of anger.  
"Yeah, this is the good side. Krycek is one of the bad guys", Scully joined in.  
_As if I didn't know._  
"I know", I replied. "I do know that."  
Now they both looked entirely confused.  
Mulder shook his head like that would help him understand. Apparently it didn't. "Then, why did you gave them our only evidence? Didn't you hear what they're going to do with it?"  
I affirmed once again: "Yes, I did hear that."  
_Why did it take them so long to understand._  
Now Mulder got angry. "Then why did you give him the damn file?", he shouted furiously.  
Then, for a moment he was quiet. One could almost see the gears in his head grinding as he pondered on what on earth was going on. To me it felt like eternity. I didn't dare to say anything. I just stood there and watched him think. Scully kept an eye on me.  
Suddenly his face darkened and he aimed his gun at me.  
Awed, I moved back until I stepped against the sofa.  
"Put that down", I begged.  
"No, I know what's going on. They sent you to spy on us. Of course, that's it. How could we just for a moment believe your ridiculous story. Us on TV…"  
Scully nodded busily.  
"The X-Files a series…"  
Scully nodded again.  
"Scully and that tattoo guy…"  
Scully looked at the ground ashamed.  
"Rubbish! You were supposed to lead us to Sherman."  
"What for?", I tried to follow his thoughts.  
"To put us off the scent. There's no such thing as getting into the TV because of lightning. It was just a diversionary tactic."  
"Why?"  
"To cover up another evil plan of those people. How do I know."  
Mulder's hand with the weapon in it slowly went down while he was talking.  
"What plan? And why did Krycek steal the file then? I mean, it would be worthless, wouldn't it?"  
Mulder shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe that was part of the tactic, too."  
He raised his hand again "Why don't _you_ tell _me_? Since you're one of them?"


	25. Advice from a friend

Chapter 25: Advice from a friend

My heart thumped like crazy. I've never had someone aiming a gun at me. And I can tell you it's not a good feeling. It tripped me up completely.  
"If you would let me explain it", I stammered uncertain.  
"Okay, explain it!", Mulder ordered.  
Scully came closer and touched him on the right shoulder. "Put the gun down, Mulder", she said calmly. He obeyed and let his arm sink back down again.  
I nodded thankful and addressed Mulder. "The reason why I let Krycek take the file is pretty obvious, actually. There's an easy and plausible explanation and I wonder why you didn't think of that before accusing me of betrayal and sophistry", I said, deadpan.  
He looked affected but interested.  
"I knew for sure," I continued. "That the file will disappear as soon as I'm gone. Just like everything else I caused. We learned that from Paul Sherman."  
While Mulder still thought about it, Scully had already understood. " And they don't know. So they won't know about the file, or you or even us being involved."  
"Right, there will be nothing left. Of course you'll forget, too."  
"What about these men's project? Will it still be there?", Mulder wanted to know.  
I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe, maybe. But you'll never know. You'll have forgotten. And it doesn't matter because it's not a part of the show. It's irrelevant."  
Fox Mulder's look passed me right by and went straight out the window behind me.  
"Makes sense….somehow. I guess", he said deeply in thought.  
Nothing important happened the rest of that day. It was almost over, anyway. We were all pretty knackered and Mulder left soon.

Friday was the 21st of November. Although I had explained it to them, it appeared that I was the only one who enjoyed the 11.21 reference. On the other hand, they were concerned about another problem and thus not really interested in the birthday of the wife of a write who hadn't really accomplished anything popular in their world.  
"We don't have a report, Mulder", Scully complained. "What are we going to tell Skinner? That the villain attacked us to take it?"  
"That he sort of flew at you like a flying squirrel", I joked. But nobody laughed. It just earned me a look of reproach from Scully.  
"Okay, let's go up to him", Mulder said and stood up from his office chair. I wanted to follow them but Mulder turned around at the door and stopped me. "No, you'll wait here in the office."  
I supposed he was still a little mad at me because of the previous day. Annie, by the way, as well. She evaded us, since nobody let her out of the bedroom when there was action at Scully's place. Of course, she was just a dog and Mulder should understand my decision. After all, it wouldn't have any effects. I didn't object and moved back to the desk to sit in the chair. Mulder turned to the door and reached out for the doorknob. But before he could grab it the door was opened from the other side.  
Mulder could back up a smidge so as not to be hit by the door.  
"Sir, we were just on our way to you", Mulder said.  
Skinner stood in the open door. "That won't be necessary, Agent Mulder."  
The agents exchanged surprised looks.  
"It won't?", Mulder asked in disbelieve.  
Skinner coughed tentatively, and rubbed his throat before he replied: "Exactly. You don't have to hand in the report. There's no need. But I advise you strongly to desist from further investigations relating to this case."  
_That was clear_  
"But, Sir. We…"Or maybe not  
"No, Mulder. I said you better don't dig any deeper. That's a good advice from a friend as well as an order."  
_Now that was clear!_  
"Alright, Sir. We won't. Thank you for coming down here and letting us know." It was Scully who managed this before Mulder could.  
Skinner didn't look at her, even as she spoke his look was fixed on Mulder as if he could impose his will on Mulder.  
"Good", Skinner mumbled and quickly walked away, leaving the door open.


	26. Victims

Chapter 26: Victims

We stared through the open door and thus the spot where Skinner had stood."What was that?", I asked, eventually and still staring towards the door, in disbelief. "Yesterday he had a completely different opinion."  
Mulder came back to the desk and sat down on it, Scully stayed near the door and folded her arms around her chest, also waiting for a logical explanation.  
"Well," Mulder tried. "Looks like someone approached him."  
"Approached?", I repeated.  
"Yes. You know, they probably told him, that he should tell us to stop working on this case and that he's not supposed to expect a report from us."  
"Do you think they told him why?"  
"Probably not."  
"So they threatened him, you mean?", Scully indicated.  
"I guess."  
Suddenly Mulder had one of his ideas. He grabbed the phone and dialled a number.  
"Who are you calling, Mulder?", Scully wanted to know.  
He was waiting for someone to pick up the phone and seemed very concentrated.  
"Who are you calling?", Scully questioned again.  
Mulder just put a finger on his mouth to hush her.  
"Hello, Mrs. Sherman?" we heard him say.  
Scully, a little offended , sat down on a chair.  
"May I talk to your son, Mrs. Sherman?", Mulder asked the woman on the other side of the line.  
"What do you mean he's dead?"  
That caught Scully's attention. She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.  
"But we talked to him just a few days ago…yeah, I understand…No I'm sure he was…I'm very sorry Mrs. Sherman….of course, good bye."  
Scully and I peppered him with questions.  
"What did she say?"  
"Sherman is dead?"  
"What happened?"  
"Why did you call her?"  
"How did you…"  
"Hey! Girls!", he cut us off. "One at a time."  
"How did he die?", Scully asked again.  
"Yeah and how did you know?", I added not waiting for him to answer.  
Mulder rolled his eyes but didn't complain. "They made it look like an accident. Got hit by a car in front of his own house. Hit-and-run, no suspect, no witness, no evidence. And I didn't know anything. It was just a guess. I thought that they might have approached Sherman as well. I didn't expect them to kill him."  
I sighed. "It's all our fault."  
"Yeah, she's right, Mulder." Scully agreed. "Because we went there. Because he told us what he knew."  
Scully looked really concerned.  
"Well, it might as well be made undone by Monday, right? So don't worry, ok?", Mulder tried to make her feel better.  
Yeah right. Everything would be back to normal and if not, Mulder and Scully would never know about Sherman and all that.  
I didn't say anything and just nodded slowly and deeply in thoughts.  
"Why didn't they kill us then?", Scully wanted to know.  
Mulder shrugged his shoulder and shook his head. "Don't know!"  
I suddenly had to laugh and Scully threw an angry look at me.  
"What's so funny about that?", she asked.  
"Maybe I can explain why", I told her with a knowing smile on my face.  
"Okaaay?", she replied suspiciously.  
"See, it's really easy", I began and stood up from the office chair. I walked around in the room why I talked. "and somehow ridiculous. But Mulder and Scully just never get killed."  
"Hum?" Their faces were question marks.  
"Well, it's like the syndicate always kills everyone involved, but never Mulder and Scully. And they always find explanations. One even more absurd than the other."  
"Sounds like a bad show", Mulder complained and made a pout.  
"Oh, you get used to it and don't even notice it anymore. But most shows and movies have that. I mean, they would be boring if the main characters died right away."  
"True", both agreed.


	27. Is he The One?

Chapter 27: Is he The One?

All this conspiracy stuff wore me down mentally. Dana seemed to be fine though.  
"How do you bear with all this?", I asked.  
We were lying on the couch in her apartment. We had already gone shopping and wasted our time with magazines now.  
"How do I bear with what?", she replied surprised from behind her magazine.  
Each of us was lying back, resting the head on the sofa's arm so we could look at each other.  
"Never mind", I said and turned the page of my magazine. "Oh!", I said. "A quiz."  
"Hmhm", Dana just mumbled.  
"Is he The One?", I read aloud.  
She put down her magazine and looked at me like I was crazy.  
"You not gonna take that quiz, are you?"  
"Nooo!", I assured her.  
She nodded relieved and her face disappeared behind the American Spectator.  
I took a pen from the table. "You will"  
The Spectator fell down on her chest with a _flap_. "What?"  
"Ok, let's see. We're going to do this for you and Mulder." I smiled big time.  
"You're kidding me, right?"  
I waved the pen around. "First question. How did you two meet? That's easy. Through work, of course."  
I marked that point.  
"Ok then, next question: "When you first met him, your intuition told you: a) He's the one, b) Run, c) this is worth exploring, d) nothing – I didn't think much of it."  
Dana now put her magazine aside and listened to the questions.  
"I guess I should have run, but back at that time I still thought it was worth exploring.", she answered.  
"Oh, come on, he's not that bad!"  
"I know, but he's so, so…"  
"Cute?"  
"No, so…"  
"Sexy?"  
"Would you stop that?"  
I nodded.  
"I'm not sure. It's difficult. My life has changed so much since I know Mulder."  
She waved her hand. "Anyway, next question."  
"How long have you been together…that would be d. more than 3 years. When did 'I love you' enter the picture. That would be 'it hasn't yet'. How often do the two of you have sleepovers? Never, right?"  
I looked at her and waited.  
"Of course"  
"Oh that next one is interesting. Can you imagine having children with this man?"  
She sat up straight and asked: "What's that grin supposed to mean?"  
"Oh, nothing. Really. I just like the question.  
"Ok, well. To be honest, I've never thought about that."  
"That's a possible answer."  
Some boring questions followed. Then: "When you think of your man, you visualize: A magnificent sunset , a peaceful lake, an overcast day, a roller-coaster ride or a dungeon?"  
"Probably a roller-coaster ride", Scully laughed.  
"Yep, I second that. Alright, question: You and your man are locked in your home all day with no TV, no games, no books, etc. How do you spend the time? Laughing, fighting, heaving deep discussions, in silence or pulling my hair off."  
Scully thought about that for a while then said: "Considering the case with the monster in that lake, I know that we tend to talk all night in a situation like that."  
"Right, Quagmire, I remember. Your relationship most resembles the story from which movie? 9 ½ weeks, When Harry Met Sally, War of the Roses?"  
"Jesus, what kind of question is that? I barely remember the relationships in 9 ½ weeks. I think I choose the second one."  
"oh, that's sweet. And yes, I think none of this really fits. What do your parents think of him?"  
"Gosh, I'm not really sure. But I think my mom does like him."  
"Guess so. Next: How often do you have sex? A).."  
"We don't!"  
"Yeah, but that's not a possible answer. How about d) we're waiting? The other options imply that you've had sex. And you must admit it will, I mean, could come to it."  
"Well, it's just a stupid quiz. So, go for it."  
I marked d and turned the page. "Last question: Do you use "when" or "if" when referring to the future?.."  
"What future?", she exclaimed immediately.  
I laughed out loud: "Funny, that would be answer c. Nice reaction!"  
I started to count the points and checked the results. "Uh, interesting."  
"What?", Scully looked daggers at me.  
"It says: There's definite potential here — he just might be "the One"! Maybe it's too early to tell if this is really "Mr. Wonderful," but it sounds like you've found someone great. There's no strict definition of love, but there are some things to think about that might help you to discover if this relationship is meant to last. Do your best qualities seem to shine when he's around? Do you find yourself overlooking pet peeves just because he's the guilty party? Do you feel all warm and fuzzy just thinking about him, even when he's not there? When you think about your future, is he in the picture? These are just a few of the good signs."  
"What? Give it to me!"  
Dana took the magazine from me and read that part again then gave it back to me and said: "Oh well, it's just a stupid quiz. Not reliable at all."  
I smirked. "If you say so."


	28. Paying A Visite

Chapter 28: Paying A Visite

After we've had a relaxing day on Saturday, with a shopping tour, the magazines, the quiz and lots of conversations about FBI work and dogs, we didn't know how to spend Sunday, the last day we'd have together.  
"What would you like to do today?", Dana asked me at 09.24 in the morning.  
"Not sure", I replied and pondered over the options. "I've met your brother Bill, Skinner, Mulder, Kryceck, the Gunmen. I've been in you're apartment, Mulder's office…"  
Suddenly I knew what I would want to see before I leave. "Hey, his apartment. I haven't seen Mulder's apartment. Can we go there?"  
Scully took our plates from the breakfast table and put them into the sink.  
I stood up from the chair and walked over to her to help her with the dishes.  
"Yes, we could do that. We can take Annie with us and go for a walk in the park altogether afterwards."  
"Sounds good", I smiled and took a cup she handed me in order to dry it with a towel. "Do you think we should call him to ask if he has time?"  
"I don't think that will be necessary."  
"Alright," I said not entirely convinced.

Annie squealed with glee as we stopped in front of the house Mulder lived in.  
"See, she can't wait to see Mulder", I joked and got out of the car. The dog couldn't wait to get out as well so I hurried and put her on the leash.  
"I bet she just has to pee badly", Scully replied already walking up to the front door.  
She was right, Annie didn't waste any time and used the next best scrub.  
Scully waited for us and held the door open until Annie was done. Inside the house we passed the mailboxes and stopped in front of the two elevators. A man joined us while we were waiting for one of them to open. I turned my head to look at him and shrugged. I knew this guy. It was the guy from Milagro, the author, Padgett, who was interested in Scully. _Ping. _The elevator doors slid open. Padgett stepped inside first. He looked at us impatiently but I didn't move.  
"Will you go in or what?" I heard Scully asking. I wanted to suggest waiting for the other elevator but Dana already stepped inside as well.  
"Sorry!", she excused us and waved me inside. Reluctantly I entered the elevator and tried to stay as far away from Padgett as possible. Of course it was rather impossible with so little room. Scully just stood next to him and smiled friendly. With Annie in front of me I focused on her in order not to look at Padgett. However, I did realize the way he gazed at Scully during the whole time. She apparently realized it too and tried to change it by talking to him.  
"Level 4, just like us", she noticed looking at the flashing button.  
"Yep", the man just replied but kept staring at her.  
"Do you live there? I've never seen you here."  
Now his look went down to the dog. "Yes, actually I've just moved in. Apartment 41, if you want to see it, I'd be glad to show you around."  
_Not much to see there._  
"Well, I…", she seemed interested.  
I looked at her and frowned. She saw that and shook her head: "No. Thank you, but I guess they do all look the same."  
The elevator slowed down, then stopped. Scully was the first to get out, I walked next to her while Padgett stayed back a little. He watched us, I could tell. As well as Scully.  
"Strange guy", she whispered. "I think he's watching us."  
"He's a writer", I explained. "That's what he does. He watches people and writes about them."  
We stopped in front of Mulder's apartment door.  
"Do you think he's going to write about us?"  
"I'm sure he'll write about you", I said and knocked on the door.  
"disgusting!", Scully commented.  
We waited for about a minute but nothing happened. The writer had already disappeared into his flat. This time Scully tried and knocked. Voices could be heard behind Mulder's door.  
"Is that the voice of a wom…", Scully began but didn't end her sentence since the door was opened.  
"Who are you?", asked a tall, blonde woman in her late twentieth.  
Dana and I looked at each other in confusion.  
"We uhm…we are….", I stumbled.  
"Who are _you_?", Scully wanted to know. She didn't seem happy about this woman in Mulder's apartment. In fact, She looked jealous.  
Suddenly Mulder appeared behind that woman, just putting on a white shirt.  
"She just wanted to leave", he announced determinedly and held the door open. "Right Tammy?"  
The woman nodded and smiled, obviously amused about Scully's jealous reaction: "Right, right. I was on my way out."  
She turned around, grabbed a bag from Mulder's couch and darted out of the tiny flat.


	29. A World of Its Own

Chapter 29: A World of Its Own

Mulder's apartment was dreary as usual. There wasn't much light, the venetian blinds were down, only some bars of light fell into the room and created geometrical forms on the carpet that looked as if a Native American had designed it. The red and the black colours perfectly matched the dark couch. Some pictures decorated the otherwise simple walls.  
"Gimme your jacket", Mulder said to me and reached out in my direction. I quickly took it off and handed him my jacket. He grabbed it and also Scully's jacket to put it on that ugly pool-ball coat rack near the front door. I let Annie off the leash and she immediately jumped up on Mulder, happily wagging her tail. He kneeled down and carefully patted her head.  
"So, that _Tammy _was in a hurry uh?", Scully obviously couldn't hold it back any longer. The "Tammy" sounded pretty deprecatory."Guess she has another…." Dana was apparently looking for the right word. "Client waiting."  
Mulder stood up and smiled. "You think so?"  
I decided to rather walk around in the room a little bit. So I took a closer look at the window where I could clearly see the spot where the X usually used to be. There was no X at the moment though. I turned around and observed the Mulder, Scully scene.  
"If it makes you feel better. I am not her _client_." Mulder was just saying, using the same deprecatory tone that Scully had used. "And anyway, you could have called first."  
Dana smirked, passed him and sat down on the couch. Annie curled up beside her. Mulder did not complain so I continued my tour through the apartment and disappeared into the kitchen.  
"You want something to drink?", Mulder yelled from the other room.  
"I'll get something myself", I replied and opened the big refrigerator. It was indeed big. Big and empty. A can half filled with something that looked like orange juice eked out its wretched and lonely existence. I took it out and opened the can. A rotten smell immediately penetrated my nose and I hastily put the lid back on the can.  
"Oh maan!", I exclaimed.  
"What is it?", Scully yelled back.  
"There's nothing to drink here. The orange juice is way past its expiry date."  
"That can't be", Fox said and joined me in the kitchen.  
I offered him the can and let him smell.  
"Oh, that's really bad!", he said. "But I just bought it on Thursday."  
"Well, definitely not last Thursday."  
He angrily threw the can away then shrugged his shoulders: "Well, I'm afraid I can't offer you anything then."  
"Oh well", I sighed and walked back into the living room. I looked around and noticed that apparently there was no bathroom anywhere. I walked over to the shelf with the aquarium.  
"May I feed the fish?", I asked and looked into it. A fish anxiously swam away and hid under a plant.  
"Hey, don't be scared, I'm your friend", I whispered and carefully knocked on the glass.  
"Of course. Go for it", Mulder answered my question and went into the bedroom.  
"Where's he going?", I asked surprised.  
"Well, the bathroom I guess", Scully replied. "It's next to the bedroom, you know."  
"Actually I didn't know. Cool."  
I opened the aquarium, took the fish food and spread some of it into the water. Hunger prevailed over fear, so the little fish came out of its hiding place and greedily snapped up the tiny flakes that were swimming on the water surface.  
"I can't believe he has nothing to drink in his fridge", Scully mumbled and walked into the kitchen.  
"Good boy!", I said to the fish and watched him eating. More of his kind had come out of their hiding places and were gathering as many flakes as they could eat. There was bustling activity in the small under water world.  
"Oh maaaan!", I heard Scully's voice coming from the kitchen. Then a toilet being flashed right behind the wall in front of me. Just a few seconds later Mulder entered the room again and came over to me. He bent forward and watched the turmoil in the aquarium.  
"A world of its own", he said rather to himself than to me.  
"Yeah", I nodded. "They sleep and eat and swim around. Those tiny life forms are being watched by us and will never be able to understand why."  
"Mostly for our personal entertainment."  
Fox stepped back and looked out of the window into the sky saying: "Who knows. Maybe someone is just thinking the same thing about us.  
"Hey!", Scully said, standing in the door. "Why don't we spend some time in the park? I bet Annie would be glad about that."  
Since she had heard her name, Annie jumped off the couch and ran up and down the room full of expectation.


	30. Movie Stars

Chapter 30: Movie Stars

Although it was in the middle of the day, lots of joggers were in the Folger Park. It was Sunday and jogging was probably the best way to clear your head from stress and worries. Mulder and Scully were already a few steps ahead, I had to wait for Annie who was sniffing around.Snippets of Mulder's and Scully's conversation reached me.  
I lifted my nose into the air and took a deep breath of the wonderful fresh air. I remained like this for a while, when Annie was done, we caught up on the two agents.  
"So, you're not her client?", Scully just taunted.  
Fox sighed and slowly shook his head. "It's not that easy to explain", he hemmed and hawed.  
"I've got time", Dana replied patiently.  
"Well, it's like…"  
Suddenly his facial expression changed, he smiled brightly and lifted his arms, looking at something straight ahead. "Director Skinner! Nice to see you."  
The director came from the other side of the park. They shook hands while Scully frowned.  
"What are you doing here, sir?"  
"I'm here to think. I got a call from an old buddy of mine."  
"I see", Scully said. "I hope it's nothing bad."  
"Oh no!", the A.D. laughed. "Nothing bad. He just…well, he works in Hollywood now. He's a writer. We haven't seen each other since college. And now he is working on a new project and that's why he contacted me. They want to do a FBI-based movie and he asked me if I can help him with ideas and information."  
Pause.  
"Well, can you?", Scully asked"  
I don't know. That's what I'm thinking about. I thought maybe I could tell him about your work. I mean, maybe they can make something out of that."  
Annie began to yowl quietly. She always does that when she gets bored and wants to move on. I patted her head and promised that it wouldn't take much longer.  
"Do you think people would be interested in it?", Skinner just said to me as I turned to them again.  
"In what?", I asked in confusion.  
"A movie like that."  
I didn't know what to say. Why did he have to ask me?  
"How do I know?", I replied.  
"Well, you watch TV, don't ya?"  
_Sure._  
"Not so much, no. I'm not the right person to ask. Really."  
Mulder and Scully smiled big time.  
"Well alright", Skinner announced. "I'll talk to Wayne about it."  
"Wayne?", Mulder repeated.  
"Wayne Federman, my old buddy in Hollywood. I'll call him right now."  
"Ah yeah, right. Okay then, sir. Sorry we couldn't help you. If you have any more questions, you know where to find us."  
"In the basement."  
"In the basement, exactly. Have a nice evening!"  
"You too. And don't forget about the team seminar tomorrow."  
Mulder simpered. "Noooo, how could we. We can hardly wait to go."  
"That's the right attitude!", Skinner said, then he said good bye and left.

The sun was already going down so we decided to get back to the car. Annie was glad that we finally went on. Most of the joggers were gone, too and we were like the only people with a dog in the park.  
"A movie 'bout our work…", Mulder mumbled.  
"Do you know anything about it?", Dana wanted to know.  
"A little", I said and shrugged my shoulders. "You won't like it."  
"You mean they're really going to make it?"  
I nodded. "But as I said, you won't like it. It's more like a satire. No, a parody."  
Scully shook her head in disbelief. "Oh boy!"


	31. The Last Evening

Chapter 31: The last evening

Another evening on the couch. We just sat and talked, Dana and me, since it was our last evening together. The lights in the apartment were dimmed and it was really cozy. I already felt pretty sad that I had to leave soon. Dana sat on the right side of the sofa and I sat on the left. Annie was asleep in the middle of us.  
"Now that you leave", Dana said all of a sudden. "Don't you think you can tell me a little about what will happen in the future?"  
She bit her lip doubtfully and quickly added: "I mean, I'll forget whatever you say tomorrow anyway."  
I pondered about that for a moment, then decided that it would do no harm to tell her some things.  
"Anything in particular?", I asked and petted Annie a little. She turned around, enjoying it.  
"Well", Dana replied. "How about….I don't know….maybe."  
"'Bout what?", I inquired. "Mulder?"  
She looked caught and a little embarrassed.  
"Hey, we need something to drink", she tried to cover it up and walked away into the kitchen. When she came back with two glasses of orange juice, I said: "It's interesting. You two are going to have a baby together."  
"WHAT?", she exclaimed and obviously didn't know if she should laugh or rant.  
"Honestly. A little boy. The circumstances of his birth are pretty weird…."  
"Yeah I can imagine that", she interrupted me. "I can't have children. That's what the doctors told me, you know."  
"I know. But you were also expected to die of cancer, right?"  
For a second she was silent. Then she nodded and said: "Yeah, but aside from that, I'd have to have….you know, I mean, Mulder and I we'd have to…"  
I took a sip of my juice and continued: "Yes you do."  
She looked as if she didn't expect that answer. "Wow…but that's. Wow!"  
I smiled. "That's what I thought. But back to the circumstances of William's birth."  
"William?", she asked. "Who is William?"  
"Your son", I explained patiently. "He'll be born in a barn or something, as far as I remember. And a star or a bright light in the sky or whatever will lead Mulder the way to it. And the lone gunmen will be there after following that light in the sky."  
"Pardon?", Dana laughed. "That sounds like the birth of Jesus."  
I nodded. "Indeed it does. And that was when I didn't understand anything anymore. I mean Mulder vanishes, he comes back and the baby is born and then Mulder's gone again."  
Scully looked at me puzzled. "Ah, that sounds really confusing."  
"It does", I agreed and petted the dog again.  
For a moment it was silent, then Dana looked at me and said: "It's too quiet. We need music, don't you think?"  
"Good idea", I replied. "I'll look for a nice CD. So I stood up and walked over to the stereo.  
"No, no", Scully suggested. "Why don't we try that tape we found in that rental car in Illinois?"  
"Okay", I uttered and walked towards the bedroom. "It's still in the jacket I wore that day."  
A few minutes later I returned with the tape and put it into the stereo. Some rock song began to play while I sat down again.  
We continued to talk for about 20 minutes and the music played in the background. It seemed to be a selfmade mix of someone who had had the car before.  
"I'm so tired", Scully said and yawned.  
The current song was just coming to and end and it was quiet again for a while.  
"Maybe you should go to bed", I suggested.  
But she refused. "No, it's our last evening and I will stay up until you go to sleep."  
At that moment the next song began to play.  
Scully looked very tired and her eyelids already began to droop. While the first verse of the song sounded in the background she slowly fell asleep. I listened to it for a moment before I fell asleep as well. While everything around me faded, I just heard the chorus:

_Joy to the world  
All the boys and girls  
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea  
Joy to you and me._


	32. En route

Chapter 32: En route

When I woke up the next morning the first thing that came to my mind was _It's the last day. _That made me sad and I didn't really want to get up. Here on the couch, it felt warm and cozy and safe. I was alone on the couch. Scully had woken up in the middle of the night and went into her own bed. So I stretched and yawned and rolled over so that I lay on my stomach. I thought, maybe if I stay in bed, nothing happens and I don't have to go back. I let my arm slide out under the blanket and let it hang down perpendicular to the floor and sighed. The picture of my parents and my sister appeared before my mind's eye and suddenly the sadness gave way to a mood of pleasant anticipation. With a look at my watch I realized that I was probably awake before Scully. I climbed out of bed and went cheerful into the bathroom. I was just as cheerful when we had breakfast and still when we were on our way to Mulder's house. That was where we were supposed to be picked up by the two other agents in order to get to the team seminar somewhere down in Tallahassee. It was still a little misty, since it was only 6 o'clock in the morning when we arrived at his house. Actually it was even 5.46 am. So I still had time for a walk with Annie. I said hello to Fox, who was already waiting at the front door with his bag, and then walked down the street with the dog. I was wearing my jeans, my shirt and a warm jacket from Dana. She, by the way, was wearing a nice beige costume and a long coat. I had suggested she'd pack some sturdy shoes and a rain coat which she had done.  
When me and Annie went back to Mulder and Scully, a car and the two other agents already stood in front of the house. The woman, with her blonde ponytail was just talking to Dana while Mulder and the other guy were busy trying to get all the bags and cases into the trunk. I joined the women.  
"Hey, hello!", the woman said to me. "I hear, you come with us, is that right?"  
I threw an uncertain look at Scully than looked at that woman again. "Well, yes. Not all the way though."  
"She'll get out of the car on the way.", Scully added.  
"Oh." The female agent looked confused.  
"Where?", she wanted to know.  
_Damn it. How do I know?_  
"I'm not sure."  
"You're not sure where you're going?"  
"Well, it's uhm…I can't remember the name of the town. It's been a long time, but I'll tell you when we're there. All I remember is that it's somewhere on route 43 in Leon County."  
"Allright", she replied, not entirely satisfied with my answer.  
Then she turned to her partner and yelled: "Stop that Mike! That suitcase is way too big, you can't put it there."  
She walked over to him.  
"Okay", Mike said. "But don't you remember what we learned 4 years ago during the team seminar?"  
"You mean, when we were supposed to let us fall backwards and let our partners catch us so that we learn to trust each other?"  
He shook his head: "No, I'm talking about telling your partner he's doing something wrong without making him feel inferior."  
She stepped back from the trunk and said: "Oh yeah, you're right. I'm sorry. I just think you should put the case under those two smaller bags here."  
They discussed the whole thing a minute, then rearranged everything. A few more minutes later we were finally ready to go.  
I sat in the middle of the backseat with the dog on my lap. Fox and Dana sat next to me. The trip was horrible. The other agents were constantly talking about these team seminars. We never said anything and just looked out the windows. By and by the mist lifted and some hazy sunshine broke through. At some time, shortly after we had crossed the Florida state border, Mulder interrupted the other agent's lecture on team seminars and said with his common humor: "Do you think we can stay in one hotel room altogether? I wouldn't wanna miss these conversations."  
Mike and his partner didn't laugh at all while Scully and I smiled big time.  
"No, Agent Mulder", said Mike dead serious. "I'm afraid that goes against the Bureau's policy of male and female agents consorting in the same motel room while on assignment."  
His partner nodded dutifully. "That's right. If possible, Mike and I always reside in rooms far away from each other."  
Now Mulder nodded and replied dead serious, which made it even more funny to us: "Of course. Relationships between colleagues probably only get people into trouble."  
"Exactly. It never works", Mike agreed. "But where was I. Oh, I was going to tell you about last year's seminar."  
We were just driving through a curve on route 43.  
"Last year was something of a personal revelation. We were doing an exercise called team builders, where we were given two minutes to build a tower out of ordinary office furniture."  
That sounded familiar and it was the last thing I heard.


	33. The Show Must Go On

Chapter 33: The Show Must Go On

Pattering rain and a bright light which was just beginning to diminish. _When did it start to rain? _I felt something in my right hand and lowered my eyes. A remote control. I looked up and stared right into a TV. Our TV. Credits were rolling up the screen and some familiar music was playing. Of course I recognized it immediately. It was the X-Files theme song. I was back home. A minute ago I had been sitting in a car with Mulder and Scully and now I was back in our house.  
"Woohooo!", I yelled, put the remote control away and touched myself from my head down to my legs to see if everything was still there. An intuitive reaction.  
"Yay!", I then yelled and jumped up. Just now I noticed the little Yorkshire Terrier next to me on the sofa. She was sitting there, licking her legs. She was probably as confused as I was.  
"Hey Annie", I said to her sounding enthusiastic. "We're back home. This is home, honey. We're back."  
Of course she didn't understand a word of what I said, but it just felt good to say it. _Home…_ Only a few seconds later my enthusiasm turned into melancholy as I saw the main menu of the DVD appearing on the screen. Redux, Redux II, Unusual Suspects, Detour. I sat down again and petted Annie. My eyes wandered over the table and got stuck on another remote control. It was the one for the DVD player. I grabbed it and selected Detour. I remembered the last moments with Fox and Dana. I guess I hoped that maybe they would remember me and that the episode would continue just where it ended for me. With me sitting in the car with the agents, talking about team seminars. The episode started with two guys surveying a forest. I skipped that scene. The opening credits followed and I skipped them too, impatiently. Then a man and a boy walking through the same forest. I leaned forward in order to not miss anything and skipped that as well. Now it got interesting. I stared at the sceen very concentrated. I felt kind of excited because although I knew what I was going to see, since I had watched the episode lots of times, I hoped that it would be different this time.  
There was a street. No not _a_ street, route 43. The very same street I had been on just a couple of minutes ago. A car approached and a voice over began.  
"_Last year was something of a personal revelation. We were doing an exercise called team builders, where we were given two minutes to build a tower out of ordinary office furniture_."  
"Woohooohoo", I yelled again and pointed at the TV with the remote control in my hand. "Do you know that Annie?" I asked the dog who was sitting next to me, staring at me as if to say "_Oh, you're talking to me?" _Her tongue hung out of her mouth sideways and she gazed at me full of expectation.  
"Aww baby. You're the best. Aren't you? Yes you are", I mumbled and petted Annie again.  
The female agent was just talking. Then we saw Mulder and Scully sitting in the back of the car and I could picture myself in the middle. Yes I was quite sure that I could make out the spot where I had sat. There was enough space between the two agents for a third person. I smiled big time.  
"Look, that's our place", I explained. Annie just dismissed that with a sigh and laid down.  
"Allright, allright", I commented and leaned back to enjoy the show a little more. Gosh how glad I was that Dana had a rain coat. And how much I laughed when she sang "Joy to the world" to Mulder. We had listened to that song last night when she fell asleep. Did she remember why of all things this song came to her mind? Probably not. Well Annie was already half asleep and on TV Mulder and Scully were just building a tower out of ordinary dead bodies when I heard the front door was unlocked. My parents were coming home. Annie knew that too, so she jumped up and ran to them. I stood up as well and followed her. She jumped and barked and was so happy to see them.  
"Oh my, what's the matter with you, Annie? We were gone only a few hours, you make it look as if you haven't seen us for weeks", my mom said and took of her jacket. How right she was. They both looked just like I had remembered them. I hugged them both and said: "Yeah sometimes it feels like that."  
Somehow I felt the urge to tell them about everything. Then again I thought they wouldn't believe it anyway, so why worry them?

I haven't told anyone about the whole thing up to now. I have also tried to go back everytime there was a thunderstorm. I always put in an X-Files DVD and try to find the moment between the last scene and the end credits. But to this day it hasn't worked. I won't give up, though. But since that time, I keep wondering. Maybe we are also just figures in a story. A story made up by someone else. Someone from another world. A world which is unimaginably different from our own. And yet so very similar.

** THE END**


End file.
